Optical coherence tomography for invasive oral squamous cell carcinoma: diagnostic accuracy and grade- and subsite-associated imaging features
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Jerjes, Waseem
Hamdoon, Zaid
Rashed, Dara
Hopper, Colin
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background: Early and accurate diagnosis remains crucial to improving outcomes in oral cancer. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers real-time, high-resolution imaging that may support diagnosis and treatment planning in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods: In this prospective study, preoperative OCT scans were obtained from 68 histologically confirmed OSCC lesions, with 30 paired adjacent mucosa samples from the same patients as histologically negative comparators (diagnostic dataset: 98 lesions). OCT findings were compared with histopathology for diagnostic performance, OCT biomarker patterns by tumour grade, tumour depth measurement, margin assessment, and subsite-specific performance. Results: OCT demonstrated 98.5% sensitivity, 96.7% specificity, and an AUC of 0.98 for detection of invasive OSCC. OCT biomarkers—including abnormal epithelial architecture with variable epithelial thickness, stratification loss, basement membrane disruption, and increased subepithelial reflectivity—varied systematically with tumour differentiation grade. Tumour depth measurements showed acceptable agreement with histology, while margin definition was correct in 80% of cases. Performance was highest in the tongue and the floor of the mouth, with reduced performance in posterior/keratinised subsites. Image artefacts occurred in 5.1% of scans. Conclusions: OCT provides a reproducible, real-time adjunct for diagnosis, margin planning, and lesion stratification in OSCC, with recognised limitations related to light attenuation and operator-dependent factors. Multicentre validation and integration with digital interpretation platforms are warranted.
Date Issued
2026-02-01
Date Acceptance
2026-01-26
Citation
Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2026, 15 (3), pp.110-110
ISSN
2077-0383
Publisher
MDPI AG
Journal / Book Title
Journal of Clinical Medicine
Volume
15
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41682784
PII: jcm15031102
Subjects
diagnostic imaging
optical coherence tomography
oral squamous cell carcinoma
surgical margins
tumour grading
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Switzerland
Article Number
1102
Date Publish Online
2026-01-30