ABSTRACT
Background: The five-year survival rate of oral cancer remains 50% or less despite the treatment advances. An effective screen- ing test is necessary for early detection of oral cancer. Aim: To assess the efficacy and diagnostic accuracy of centrifuged liquid-based cytology in comparison to conventional exfolia- tive cytology in normal oral mucosa and oral squamous cell carcinoma. Materials & Methods: The study population comprised of 40 individuals, equally divided into two groups: healthy individuals and previous histopathologically proven oral squamous cell carcinoma cases. Exfoliative cytology was done and the samples were processed by conventional cytology as well as by centrifuged liquid-based cytology and stained with Papanicolaou stain. Seven cytological parameters were analysed to assess the quality of slides prepared. A cytological diagnosis of the case group was also made and was compared with histopathological diagnosis to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy. Results: The present study revealed statistically significant superior results in all the cytological parameters evaluated by centri- fuged liquid-based cytology compared to conventional exfoliative cytology (P ?0.05). There was an ‘almost perfect agreement’ found between centrifuged liquid-based cytology diagnosis and histopathology (k=0.89) while only a ‘substantial agreement’ was found between conventional exfoliative cytology with histopathology (k=0.79). Conclusion: The present study summarizes that centrifuged liquid based cytology is more effective than conventional oral exfoliative cytology in screening oral cancer. Further studies with larger sample size in different oral lesions are necessary to validate the use of this cytology technique.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and the consequent COVID-19 disease rolled over the globe sweeping human lives and national health systems. Early diagnosis plays an important role in stopping its further escalation. Saliva as a Diagnostic Tool: Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) remains the gold standard in the diag- nosis of COVID-19 disease. Nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs are the recommended specimen types for identification of viral RNA. However, false negative results may occur due to inadequate or improper oropharyngeal sampling. Saliva, as a prom- ising alternative, circumvents the limitations associated with the use of nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs and lessens the exposure risk of health care professionals. Salivaomics or salivary diagnostics includes the study of salivary proteins, salivary RNAs, salivary metabolites, salivary microR- NAs and salivary microbiota. Saliva sample collection is easy, non-invasive and more acceptable for repeat testing and can be performed by non-healthcare professionals or even be self-sampled. Recent studies suggest that the sensitivity of saliva-based SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection methods seem to be comparable to or better than that of nasopharyngeal swabs. Conclusion: This paper reviews the role of saliva in the diagnosis of covid-19 infection, with special emphasis on its advantages, limitations and clinical implications.