"Preoperative Oral Cancer Assessment Possible Through Video Analysis"

Professor Min Kyung Lee's Team at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] A study has found that imaging tests including ultrasound, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are effective for preoperative evaluation of oral cancer.

Professor Min-Kyung Lee, Department of Radiology, Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital (left), Professor Yang-Shin Choi, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

Professor Min-kyung Lee from the Department of Radiology at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University, and Professor Yang-shin Choi from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, along with their research team, announced on the 13th that they confirmed this through a meta-analysis of papers evaluating the extent of cancer in oral cancer patients using various imaging interpretation methods.

The research team selected 23 final papers out of 847 through a screening process and compared the extent of cancer analyzed by three representative imaging interpretation methods (ultrasound, CT, MRI) with the extent of cancer evaluated pathologically.

First, the overall concordance between the extent of cancer determined by imaging interpretation and the pathological extent of oral cancer was 86%. By imaging modality, ultrasound showed the highest concordance at 91.0%, followed by MRI at 85%, and CT at 82%. Regarding the difference in oral cancer depth, MRI showed the smallest difference at 0.12 mm, ultrasound showed -0.41 mm, and CT showed 2.61 mm. Additionally, in cases with advanced stages of oral cancer, the depth difference between cancer identified by imaging and that evaluated pathologically was larger, and the concordance was lower.

Evaluating the extent of cancer is important in determining the surgical treatment range for oral cancer patients. The research team noted that while ultrasound imaging shows high concordance in cancer extent evaluation, it is highly influenced by the examiner and has limitations in assessing large and deeply located cancers. On the other hand, MRI is not affected by the examiner and is considered a useful test for evaluating large and deep-seated cancers.

Professor Lee said, "Considering that the depth of cancer evaluated by MRI showed the smallest difference from the depth evaluated pathologically and had high concordance, it is expected to be helpful in assessing the depth of oral cancer," adding, "However, in cases where the cancer is large and has already progressed to some extent, secondary changes such as inflammation and edema in the surrounding normal tissue may occur, so cancer depth evaluation should take these factors into account."

This study was published online in the international academic journal Oral Oncology (IF 5.972).

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