Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42690553›Full record

ReviewHead and neck pathology2026

Pattern-Anchored Diagnosis of Oral Epithelial Dysplasia: A Position Paper From COST Action INTERCEPTOR Working Group 2.

Syed Ali Khurram, Keith D Hunter, Edward W Odell, Merva Soluk Tekkeşin, Mark Lingen, Pablo Agustín Vargas, Omar Kujan, Daniela Elena Costea, Paolo Bossi, Pierre Saintigny and 1 more

Abstract readConsensus StatementReview
In one paragraph

Review in Head and neck pathology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Syed Ali KhurramFaculty of Health, School of Clinical Dentistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. s.a.khurram@sheffield.ac.uk.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0378-9380
Keith D HunterLiverpool Head and Neck Centre, Molecular and Clinical Cancer Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.
Edward W OdellHead and Neck/Oral Pathology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, UK.
Merva Soluk TekkeşinDepartment of Oral Pathology, Faculty of Dentistry, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey.
Mark LingenDepartment of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Pablo Agustín VargasOral Diagnosis Department, Piracicaba Dental School, State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Piracicaba, Brazil.
Omar KujanOral and Maxillofacial Biology & Diseases Research Stream, UWA Dental School, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
Daniela Elena CosteaGade Laboratory for Pathology and Norwegian Centre of Excellence for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
Paolo BossiDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.
Pierre SaintignyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.
Senada KoljenovićDepartment of Pathology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.

Funding

EU Cost Action CA21140
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeOral epithelial dysplasia (OED) is the principal histopathological marker for malignant risk stratification in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). Current World Health Organisation (WHO) three-tier and other binary grading systems are limited by modest inter-observer reproducibility and suboptimal prognostic discrimination, particularly for architecture-predominant lesions where cytological atypia is inconspicuous. The most clinically consequential failure of current practice is not mis-grading but non-recognition of dysplasia altogether, with direct implications for patient surveillance and management.

methodsThis position paper, arising from Working Group 2 of COST Action CA21140 INTERCEPTOR, synthesises evidence from inter-observer reproducibility studies, feature-based prognostic models, under-recognition studies, outcome data and computational pathology analyses to propose and contextualise a pattern-anchored, grade-retaining diagnostic framework for OED.

resultsFive recognisable histological patterns are proposed: conventional/basaloid, keratinising/differentiated, verrucous, papillomatous, and HPV-associated, functioning as diagnostic anchors that capture the full morphological spectrum of OED, including architecture-predominant phenotypes that are disproportionately under-recognised in routine practice. Feature-based prognostic models demonstrate that architectural traits characterising these patterns (bulbous rete ridges, AUROC 0.74; cohesion loss, AUROC 0.73) predict malignant transformation more effectively than grade alone. Independent computational pathology analyses identify corresponding immune microenvironment and architectural signals as the strongest prognostic variables, providing convergent support.

conclusionA two-step approach i.e. first identifying the dominant morphological pattern and then assigning grade within that pattern using existing WHO or binary criteria, offers a pragmatic, grade-retaining refinement compatible with current diagnostic frameworks and clinical pathways. The proposal is hypothesis-driven and requires prospective multicentre validation before wider adoption.

Indexed as

Mouth NeoplasmsPrecancerous ConditionsHumansHistopathological gradingOral epithelial dysplasiaOral potentially malignant disordersPattern recognitionProliferative verrucous leukoplakiaRisk stratification

Identifiers

PMID42690553
PMCPMC13542027

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.