Babkair Hamzah Ali
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Taibah University, Al Madinah Al Munawara, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2025 Jun;17(Suppl 2):S1294-S1296. doi: 10.4103/jpbs.jpbs_323_25. Epub 2025 Jun 18.
Early diagnosis of oral cancer is critical for improving treatment outcomes and survival rates. Conventional diagnostic techniques often fail to detect early-stage lesions due to their subtle clinical presentation. Ultrasound elastography (USE), a non-invasive imaging modality, offers potential as a diagnostic tool by evaluating the stiffness of tissues, which is a characteristic feature of malignant transformations. This study aims to assess the efficacy of USE in diagnosing early oral cancers.
A prospective study was conducted on 50 patients presenting with suspicious oral lesions. USE was performed using a high-frequency linear transducer. The stiffness of the lesions was quantified using strain ratios and Young's modulus values. Histopathological evaluation of biopsy specimens was used as the gold standard. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of USE were calculated. Arbitrary values were assigned to test diagnostic accuracy.
Of the 50 lesions examined, 35 were confirmed as malignant and 15 as benign through histopathology. USE identified malignant lesions with a sensitivity of 91.4% and specificity of 86.7%. The average stiffness values (Young's modulus) for malignant lesions were significantly higher (23.5 ± 4.3 kPa) compared to benign lesions (8.2 ± 2.1 kPa; < 0.001). The strain ratio was similarly elevated in malignant lesions (mean: 4.8) compared to benign lesions (mean: 1.9). PPV and NPV were 94.6% and 81.3%, respectively, indicating high diagnostic accuracy.
Ultrasound elastography is a promising non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection of oral cancers. Its ability to differentiate malignant from benign lesions based on tissue stiffness can enhance clinical decision-making. Future large-scale studies are warranted to validate these findings and establish standardized protocols for its clinical application.
口腔癌的早期诊断对于改善治疗效果和生存率至关重要。由于早期病变临床表现不明显，传统诊断技术常常无法检测到。超声弹性成像（USE）作为一种非侵入性成像方式，通过评估组织硬度提供了作为诊断工具的潜力，而组织硬度是恶性转化的一个特征。本研究旨在评估USE在诊断早期口腔癌中的有效性。
对50例有可疑口腔病变的患者进行了一项前瞻性研究。使用高频线性换能器进行USE检查。使用应变比和杨氏模量值对病变的硬度进行量化。活检标本的组织病理学评估用作金标准。计算USE的敏感性、特异性、阳性预测值（PPV）和阴性预测值（NPV）。设定任意值以测试诊断准确性。
在检查的50个病变中，通过组织病理学确诊35个为恶性，15个为良性。USE识别恶性病变的敏感性为91.4%，特异性为86.7%。恶性病变的平均硬度值（杨氏模量）（23.5±4.3 kPa）显著高于良性病变（8.2±2.1 kPa；P<0.001）。与良性病变（平均值：1.9）相比，恶性病变中的应变比同样升高（平均值：4.8）。PPV和NPV分别为94.6%和81.3%，表明诊断准确性高。
超声弹性成像是一种有前景的用于早期检测口腔癌的非侵入性诊断工具。其基于组织硬度区分恶性和良性病变的能力可增强临床决策。未来有必要进行大规模研究以验证这些发现并建立其临床应用的标准化方案。
