Evaluation of depth of invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma with ultra-high frequency ultrasound: A preliminary study

Abstract

Intraoral ultrasonography has been widely employed for the preoperative assessment of tumor margins due to its capability to evaluate depth of invasion (DOI) and tumor thickness (TT). Recently, a novel ultrasonographic technique, ultra-high frequency ultrasound (UHFUS) has been increasingly applied to the study of oral lesions. This study evaluates the potential application of intraoral UHFUS to assess DOI and TT parameters of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) lesions. Patients clinically suspected of OSCC lesions were enrolled and underwent an intraoral UHFUS examination preoperatively. The parameters of TT, DOI, echogenicity, and vascularization were assessed. The parameters of TT and DOI as evaluated by means of UHFUS were compared to histology, which was set as the benchmark. Ten patients in total were enrolled. UHFUS-based DOI and TT measurements were found to positively correlate with histology (p < 0.05), although UHFUS provided a slight overestimation of DOI. No differences were found in terms of echogenicity or vascularization depending on the site of the lesion. According to these preliminary results, UHFUS could support the preoperative assessment of TT and DOI, potentially enhancing the clinical evaluation of OSCC.