[Autofluorescence for the detection of potentially malignant and malignant lesions of the oral cavity lining].
BACKGROUND
The sensitivity of visual examination for the diagnosis of oral cancers is estimated at 85% and its specificity at 97%. However, it is likely that numerous lesions remain undetected. The objective of this article was to review literature on the contribution of tissular autofluorescence to detect potentially malignant and malignant lesions of the oral cavity.


METHODS
The Medline database was consulted using the following keywords: fluorescence and cancer; autofluorescence and cancer; fluorescence and oral cancer; autofluorescence and oral cancer; Velscope(®) and oral cancer. Only original articles and clinical case reports on the oral cavity published in English since 1999 were considered.


RESULTS
Twenty-three publications were analyzed. Twelve studies concerned spectroscopy and 14 direct autofluorescence. The specificity of AF ranged between 75 and 100% in spectroscopy and between 39 and 100% in direct vision. The sensibility of the AF varied between 78 and 100% in spectroscopy and between 50 and 100% in direct vision.


CONCLUSIONS
The variability of results may be explained by selection bias. The main contribution of fluorescence is to highlight oral mucous membrane lesions and to help physicians to better locate them. The lack of AF specificity supports the contribution of histological examination which remains the reference examination for the diagnosis of potentially malignant lesions and cancers of the oral cavity.
Pôle Odontologie et Santé Buccale, Hôpital Pellegrin, Place Amélie-Raba-Léon, 33000 Bordeaux, France. jean-christophe.fricain@biophys.u-bordeaux2.fr
J-C
JC
Fricain
D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D009061:Mouth Mucosa / Q000473:pathology; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015983:Selection Bias; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence