Optical imaging biomarkers of oral dysplasia and carcinoma (Conference Presentation)

Oral cancers are associated with high mortality in advanced stages. Early diagnosis is associated with better patient outcomes, but this is challenging to achieve as benign lesions appear similar to lesions of concern, and multiple biopsies may be required to ensure the most pathologic tissue is sampled. This work retrospectively examines and quantifies endoscopic optical coherence tomography of the oral cavity to quantify oral cancer-sensitive image biomarkers. This approach allows for the non-invasive in vivo measurement of subsurface changes in the first few millimeters of oral tissue which may be useful for biopsy site or treatment margin selection.