Site-Coded Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Evaluation by Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): A Descriptive Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Oral diagnostics
• Biomedical optics
• Oncology

Background:

• Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool for evaluating oral epithelial and subepithelial tissues.
• While OCT's potential in oral cancer assessment is recognized, systematic comparisons with clinical/histological data, particularly regarding anatomical site, are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically compare in vivo OCT findings with histological data for suspected oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs).
• To establish site-specific OCT determinants for oral mucosa by comparing OCT images of cancerous sites with healthy mucosa from the same anatomical locations.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 30 histologically confirmed OSCCs for a two-step evaluation: in vivo OCT and histological analysis.
• Utilized site-coded healthy oral mucosa OCT images as a reference.
• Registered and processed specific OCT mucosal features (Stratified Epithelial Layer, Basement Membrane, Lamina Propria) following Standards for Reporting Qualitative Research (SRQR) guidelines.

Main Results:

• OCT analysis revealed complete alterations in epithelial (keratin layer, Stratified Epithelial Layer) and subepithelial (Basement Membrane, Lamina Propria) layers in OSCC scans.
• These alterations demonstrated site-specific characteristics.
• Observed "icicle-like" structures in OCT scans were strongly suggestive of neoplastic infiltration.

Conclusions:

• OCT effectively identifies site-specific structural alterations in oral squamous cell carcinoma.
• OCT shows potential for developing specific optical structural models to aid in understanding oral carcinogenesis.
• The findings support the integration of OCT into oral cancer diagnostics and research.