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Updated: Jun 29, 2025
Intraoperative Assessment of Resection Margins in Oral Cavity Cancer: This is the Way
Published on: May 10, 2021
Intraoperative Techniques That Define the Mucosal Margins of Oral Cancer In-Vivo: A Systematic Review
Klijs J de Koning1, Carleen M E M Adriaansens1, Rob Noorlag1
1Department of Head and Neck Surgical Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Background:
This systematic review investigates techniques for determining adequate mucosal margins during the resection of oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The primary treatment involves surgical removal with ≥5 mm margins, highlighting the importance of accurate differentiation between SCC and dysplasia during surgery.
Methods:
A comprehensive Embase and PubMed literature search was performed. Studies underwent quality assessment using QUADAS-2.
Results:
After the full-text screening and exclusion of studies exhibiting high bias, eight studies were included, focusing on three margin visualization techniques: autofluorescence, iodine staining, and narrow-band imaging (NBI). Negative predictive value (NPV) was calculable across the studies, though reference standards varied. Results indicated NPVs for autofluorescence, iodine, and NBI ranging from 61% to 100%, 92% to 99%, and 86% to 100%, respectively. Autofluorescence did not significantly enhance margins compared to white light-guided surgery, while iodine staining demonstrated improvement for mild or moderate dysplasia. NBI lacked comparison with a white light-guided surgery cohort.
Conclusions:
We recommend studying and comparing the diagnostic accuracy of iodine staining and NBI in larger cohorts of patients with oral SCC, focusing on discriminating between SCC and (severe) dysplasia. Furthermore, we advise reporting the diagnostic accuracy alongside the treatment effects to improve the assessment of these techniques.
