OBJECTIVE: The authors propose a new approach to the treatment of extensive pre-malignant lesions of the jugal mucosa, using laboratory grown autogenous squamous mucosa as graft. METHOD: The graft was implanted at the same time the original lesion was excised. Five patients underwent surgery and were followed up until a control biopsy was obtained after 90 days. Both clinical and morphological criteria, including light and electronic microscopy, were used to assess integration of the graft to the receptor bed. RESULTS: The anatomopathological study under light and electronic microscopy of the five patients showed integration of the cultivated mucosa to the receptor bed. Cells from the cultivated mucosa make up layers which organize and differentiate according to the pattern of the donor zone. The ultrastructure of the grafted mucosa showed a basal layer with discrete areas of loss of continuity, hemidesmosomes and anchorage fibrillae. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that being a timely and feasible technique for the treatment of pre-malignant lesions, so far deemed not amenable to resection owing to their extension, the technique may be considered a real possibility for the definitive treatment.
Squamous mucosa; Keratinocytes; Mucosa culture; Mucosa graft
