Preoperative measurement of tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma with intraoral ultrasonography.
BACKGROUND
Tumor thickness of oral tongue carcinoma is an important independent prognostic factor for local recurrence, subclinical nodal metastasis, and survival. An accurate preoperative assessment of tumor thickness is therefore essential in optimizing treatment algorithm. The present study aims at evaluating the accuracy of intraoral ultrasonography in preoperative measurement of tumor thickness.


METHODS
Forty-five patients with oral tongue carcinoma had intraoral ultrasonography to document tumor thickness using a 7.5 MHz right angle probe. The ultrasonic tumor thickness was correlated with the fresh unpreserved surgical specimen pathologic tumor thickness.


RESULTS
Ultrasonic tumor thickness had significant correlation with pathologic tumor thickness. The accuracies of ultrasonic measurement of tumor thickness in staging of tumor thickness at cutoff values between 3 and 15 mm were above 91%.


CONCLUSIONS
Intraoral ultrasonography had satisfactory accuracy in the measurement of tumor thickness and is a useful adjunct in assisting pretreatment staging and prognosis evaluation of oral tongue carcinoma.
Yuen
Anthony Po-Wing
AP
Department of Surgery, The University of Hong Kong Medical Centre, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong.
Ng
Raymond Wai-Man
RW
Lam
Paul Kin-Yip
PK
Ho
Ambrose
A
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D014463:Ultrasonography