Autofluorescence imaging and spectroscopy of normal and malignant mucosa in patients with head and neck cancer

Background and Objective: An early detection of oral cancer might improve t he patient's prognosis. We present preliminary results of autofluorescence photodetection of cancerous oral mucosa. Materials and Methods: 49 patients were investigated altogether. In 30 pati ents, malignant and healthy oral mucosa were excited with violet light (lam bda = 375 to 440 nm). Images were recorded by a sensitive CCD camera. Spect rophotometric analysis in the green spectral range was performed on tumorou s and innocuous mucosa in 36 patients. Results: In 13 patients (43.3%), tumors were subjectively better distinguis hable from their surroundings through a reduction of green autofluorescence than by ordinary inspection. Tumor detection abilities varied for differen t locations and tumor morphologies. Spectral analysis showed contrasts in a utofluorescence intensities between turner and normal tissues in 34 patient s (94.4%). Autofluorescence spectra of normal mucosa varied both inter- and intrainindividually. Conclusions: Using violet excitation light, camera-based autofluorescence p hotodetection in the green spectral range presented a highly promising tool for the diagnosis of oral malignomas in almost half of the cases examined. The possible ways on how the obtained results could serve to find a more a dvanced method for a precise tumor detection in the oral cavity are being d iscussed. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.