Multidetector Computed Tomography in Suspected Oral, Oropharyngeal and Hypopharyngeal Cancer: Imaging and Clinical Correlation

The predominant disease in the oral cavity and pharynx is cancer which forms a major oncology concern in India constituting about 30 % of all the malignancies due to the high prevalence of tobacco chewing in the form of Gutka, Khani or Mawa, tobacco quid (Paan) or Areca nut in India.1 Squamous cell carcinoma accounts for 90 % of cases of malignancy to affect this region. The development of modern cross section imaging techniques i. e. CT and MRI has substantially altered the treatment and management of malignancies of oral cavity. ANA staging accuracy of clinical examination with endoscopy was only 58 %, but it was increased significantly when combined either with CT (accuracy 80 %) or with MR imaging (accuracy 85 %). These cross sectional imaging techniques are also important for localization of potential biopsy sites in patients with occult primary and helped the surgeon in taking biopsy from the exact site instead of taking random multiple biopsies on a clinical assessment. Other imaging modalities like color Doppler and PET have also contributed to head and neck imaging especially in evaluation of nodal status.