The Non‐Invasive Diagnostic Modality for the Detection of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma by an Infrared Sensor

TL;DR

This study introduces a non-invasive infrared sensor to detect oral cancer by measuring temperature differences between healthy and cancerous tissues.

Contribution

A novel intraoral infrared device was developed and shown to detect oral squamous cell carcinoma with high sensitivity and specificity.

Findings

A significant temperature difference (p < 0.001) was found between tumor and healthy tissue.

A temperature differential >0.97°C indicates potential lesions with 100% sensitivity and specificity.

Temperatures above 38.42°C suggest malignancy with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity.

Abstract

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common cancer in the oral and maxillofacial region. While the 5‐year survival rate ranges from 75% to 94% when detected early, the majority of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, where survival drops to 20%–40%, underscoring the critical need for improved early detection strategies. This study aimed to non‐invasively detect OSCC by measuring the thermal difference between carcinogenic tissue and healthy mucosa using an infrared sensor and to assess the accuracy of this diagnostic modality.

A novel intraoral infrared device was designed and manufactured to non‐invasively measure intraoral tissue temperature. Twenty participants (13 males and 7 females) were examined, including 10 patients and 10 healthy individuals. The temperature of the lesion and contralateral healthy mucosa in the patients' group as well as both sides of the tongue in the control group were measured. The temperature differences were analyzed using the t‐test. The accuracy of the device was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

A significant difference was observed in the temperature of the tumoral tissue and healthy mucosa in the patients' group (p < 0.001). The assessment of the device's accuracy in detecting OSCC revealed that a temperature differential greater than 0.97°C between the measured sides indicates the potential presence of a lesion on the higher temperature side (sensitivity = 1, specificity = 1). Regions exhibiting temperatures higher than 38.42°C were identified as potentially indicating the presence of malignant lesions (sensitivity = 1, specificity = 0.9).

Thermography can serve as an effective non‐invasive diagnostic modality for detecting suspicious oral lesions by leveraging temperature differences. The designed device facilitates early detection of these lesions based on thermal variations, offering a promising tool for timely and accurate diagnosis.

Trail Registration: IRCT20181130041806N1

Figures