Preoperative evaluation of tumor depth of invasion in oral squamous cell carcinoma with intraoral ultrasonography: a retrospective study

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative intraoral ultrasonography (US) in the assessment of tumor depth of invasion (DOI) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Study Design: Records of 32 patients with biopsy-proven OSCC who underwent preoperative intraoral US were retrospectively reviewed. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy as indicated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis were measured for US in the assessment of the infiltration of the tumor beyond the lamina propria into the submucosa. The correlations between US and histologic DOI, and between US DOI and US diameter of the lesion, were assessed. Results: US sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV in the assessment of the infiltration of the tumor beyond the lamina propria into the submucosa were 93.1%, 100%, 100%, and 60%, respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.96. A significant correlation was found between the measurements of US DOI and histological DOI (r = 0.907). A moderate correlation was found between US DOI and US diameter (r = 0.591). Conclusions: Intraoral US has potential in preoperatively determining tumor DOI and may provide additional guidance for optimal planning of therapy for OSCC patients.