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Published on: May 10, 2021
Relationships between contrast-enhanced computed tomography features of hard palate cancer and pathological depth of
Akira Baba1, Ryo Kurokawa2, Mariko Kurokawa2
1Division of Neuroradiology, Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Radiology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Objective:
The study aimed to determine the relationships between contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) features of hard palate cancer (radiological depth of invasion [r-DOI], detectability of the lesion, and tumor invasion into the palatal bone) and the pathological DOI (p-DOI) of the tumors.
Study Design:
In total, 36 lesions were retrospectively evaluated by 2 board-certified radiologists, who examined CECT scans for the radiological features, and 2 board-certified pathologists, who measured the p-DOI on histopathologic sections. Correlation between r-DOI and p-DOI was calculated. The Youden index was used to calculate the optimal p-DOI cutoff values to distinguish between detectable and undetectable lesions and between tumors with and without bony structure invasion.
Results:
There was excellent agreement between r-DOI and p-DOI (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.80). The p-DOI of CECT-detectable lesions was significantly greater than that of CECT-undetectable lesions (P < .001), with a p-DOI cutoff value of 4 mm. The p-DOI of lesions that had invaded the palatal bone was significantly larger than that of lesions without invasion (P = .039), with a p-DOI cutoff value of 7 mm.
Conclusion:
Radiological DOI, tumor detectability, and invasion into the palatal bone can be useful in planning surgical treatment strategies for hard palate cancer.
