Magnetic resonance imaging: A predictor of pathological tumor dimensions in carcinoma of anterior two-thirds of tongue - A prospective evaluation.

Abstract

Preoperative imaging is mandatory for deciding the extent of surgery in tumors of oral tongue. Previous studies have shown the significance of depth of tumor invasion in predicting nodal involvement. This prospective study aimed to assess the correlation between tumor dimensions in all three planes obtained through preoperative imaging and histopathological findings, as well as the correlation between these and pathological node positivity. Fifty-nine consecutive patients with nonmetastatic, operable, squamous cell carcinoma of anterior two-thirds of the tongue were included in the study. Preoperative imaging findings were compared with pathological findings and analyzed. Histopathological dimensions were concordant with imaging findings. Anteroposterior, transverse, and craniocaudal (CC) dimensions obtained through imaging showed a significant correlation with corresponding pathological findings (0.730, 0.621, 0.810, respectively; P < 0.001). Among all three, only CC dimension showed a significant correlation with pathological nodal involvement (odds ratio [OR] = 7.875, P = 0.03, relative risk = 0.236). Pathological tumor thickness of >3 mm had a positive predictive value of 54.9% for nodal involvement (OR = 7.875, P = 0.03). With widespread availability of state-of-the-art magnetic resonance (MR) scanners, CC dimension needs to be emphasized as the most significant prognostic tumor parameter. Recent evidence, including our study, suggests that MR imaging is concordant with pathological findings, justifying its use in the pretreatment evaluation of oral tongue lesions.