Oral Hairy Leukoplakia: A Rare Involvement in a Patient with Polycythemia Vera

Yuri de Lima  Medeiros; Dandara Menezes  de Araujo Oliveira; Agnaldo Rocha  Prata Júnior; Laura Luiza Trindade de  Souza; Clóvis Antonio  Lopes Pinto; Graziella Chagas  Jaguar; Fabio Abreu  Alves

doi:10.18502/ijhoscr.v19i2.18556

Yuri de Lima Medeiros Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Dandara Menezes de Araujo Oliveira Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Agnaldo Rocha Prata Júnior Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Laura Luiza Trindade de Souza Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Clóvis Antonio Lopes Pinto Department of Anatomic Pathology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Graziella Chagas Jaguar Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
Fabio Abreu Alves Department of Stomatology, A.C.Camargo Cancer Center, São Paulo, SP, Brazil

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijhoscr.v19i2.18556

Keywords: Oral hairy leukoplakia; Polycythemia vera; Post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis; Immunosuppression

Abstract

Although there have been some reports of oral hairy leukoplakia (OHL) in patients with hematologic neoplasms, to the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to report this lesion affecting a patient with polycythemia vera. A 54-year-old male patient diagnosed with polycythemia vera presented with non-removable white patches with a rough surface on the bilateral border of the tongue. According to clinical, histopathological and in situ hybridization features, OHL was established. Two months after diagnosis, the patient developed splenomegaly and initiated ruxolitinib. Bone marrow biopsy showed post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis. The patient underwent allogeneic haploidentical hematopoietic stem-cell transplant, achieving complete remission of the oral lesion. OHL is an important marker of immunosuppression. In the present case, OHL was diagnosed during the progression of polycythemia vera to myelofibrosis and its early diagnosis may have contributed to a better clinical outcome.