Chemical, pathologic, and molecular progression of oral cancer

Panel A) shows clinical progression of oral cancer. Panel B) depicts the histologic progression from normal-appearing mucosa to invasive cancer. Normal-appearing mucosa already harbors early genetic changes (Panel C), often with loss of 9p21 and inactivation of p16. Further clinical progression through dysplasia is associated with further genetic changes. Carcinoma in situ often harbors most of the genetic changes described in invasive carcinoma.