Analysis of fluorescence visualization in rat tongue carcinogenesis by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide

Abstract

Early detection of precancerous and early cancerous lesions could greatly reduce both mortality and morbidity of oral cancer. The objective of this study was to analyze a fluorescence visualization (FV) system for the detection of precancerous and early cancerous lesions in rat tongue carcinogenesis induced by 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide. Under direct FV, the normal oral mucosa emits various shades of pale green autofluorescence. In precancerous and early cancerous lesions, the lesion appears as an irregular, dark area. Histological examination of the lesions showed that the FV system (VELscope^[○!R]) has a sensitivity of 95% and specificity of 100% in discriminating normal mucosa from dysplasia/carcinoma in situ (Cis) or invasive carcinoma. The proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) protein gradually increased with progression of carcinogenic transformation. Furthermore, the result of PCNA and FV loss was correlated. These preliminary results suggest that this direct FV device has potential for simple, cost-effective screening and margin determination of oral precancerous and early cancerous lesions.