Assessment of the Accuracy of Ultrasonography for Measuring Tumor Thickness in Patients with Oral Cancer

Abstract

Background: Oral squamous cell carcinoma is the most prevalent malignancy in the head and neck area, arising from various sites, including the lip, tongue, gingiva, cheek, and floor of the mouth. As the tumours grow, they invade the adjacent tissues and can spread to the cervical lymph nodes. Aim: To assess the effectiveness of Ultrasonography (USG) in measuring Tumour Thickness (TT) in patients diagnosed with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC).  Methodology: The study included eighteen cases of oral squamous cell carcinoma confirmed by biopsy. Tumour Thickness (TT) was measured for each patient using intra-oral Ultrasonography (USG) with a 4 -9 MHz conventional linear probe, from the tumour’s surface to the deepest point of invasion, prior to surgery. After the tumour specimen was sectioned, histopathological evaluation was conducted to measure tumour thickness postoperatively. A comparison was made between the preoperative and postoperative Tumour thickness measurements.  Results: A statistically significant difference was observed between the tumour thickness values obtained preoperatively (USG) and postoperatively (HISTOPATHOLOGY), with a p value of 0.001. The average tumour thickness recorded preoperatively via USG was 1.12cm, while postoperatively via histopathology it was 1.62cm. This shows an average discrepancy of 0.5cm in tumour thickness between the two methods.   Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that USG imaging accurately assesses Tumour thickness prior to surgery in cases of oral squamous cell carcinomas, suggesting a high potential for its use as a cost-effective and lower radiation alternative to other imaging modalities like MRI and CT in clinical settings.  It is recommended to advocate for the use of ultrasonographic imaging as a standard diagnostic method for various maxillofacial conditions, which can help facilitate early diagnosis and treatment planning essential for improved patient care.