Role of toluidine blue in early detection of oral cancer

ABSTRACT

Oral cancer is one of the ten most common cancers in the world with marked geographic incidences in occurrence. The range of frequency of this dreadful cancer varies form negligible in Japan to 45% in Sir Lanka, Nepal, India and Pakistan when compared with the over all incidence of all bodily cancers. In Pakistan oral cancer constitute 10% of all malignant tumors standing second to bronchogenic carcinoma in males and breast carcinoma in females. The more early it is diagnosed the better is the prognosis. This prospective study was planned to use Toluidine Blue as a diagnostic material for early diagnosis of oral cancer. Patients with oral lesions having no clinical evidence of oral cancer, but presenting as non-healing oral ulcers more than 6 months or raised margins were selected. They belonged to both sexes and all age groups. Toluidine Blue [ORA SCAN] was used to stain the lesion and biopsy was taken from stained area, 30 patients which in some cases was more than one place. These patients were randomly selected. Histopathology revealed squamous cell carcinoma in twelve patients and dysplasea in five patients. Tuluidine Blue can be used as early diagnostic aid in cancer of oral mucosa