Bürstenbiopsie zur Mundkrebsfrüherkennung

Abstract

Squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) of the oral cavity are among the ten most common cancers in the world, accounting for approximately 3-5% of all malignancies. Approximately 50% of the patients will die in the first five years after diagnosing cancer. There is a need to promote early diagnosis of oral cancers in order to reduce the currently unacceptably high morbidity and mortality rate. Cytopathological investigation of oral brush biopsies can help oral physicians to decide, whether a given oral lesion is (pre-)malignant or not. In the fight against oral cancer and its precursors, several adjunct diagnostic methods have been proposed to increase the accuracy of cytological and histological diagnosis. Since chromosomal aneuploidy has been accepted as an early key event in tumorigenesis caused by genetic instability, the cytometric equivalent of chromosomal aneuploidy detected by DNA-image-cytometry (DNA-ICM) may serve as a marker of neoplasia. Cytological investigation of brush biopsies from oral lesions macroscopically suspicious for cancer is an easily practicable, cheap, quick, non-invasive, painless and accurate method that may help to reduce the occurrence of invasive and thus fatal squamous cell carcinomas. Therefore standardized DNA-ICM is a useful and low-cost laboratory method to objectively establish an early diagnosis of prospectively progressive oral lesions.