Evaluation of tumor thickness in three dimensions on magnetic resonance imaging and its comparison with final histopathology in squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue

Context: Tongue is a three dimensional structure and assessment of accurate tumor extent is important for surgical planning. Various imaging modalities are used to assess the dimensions and depth of tumor like MRI, CECT, and clinical examination with doubtful accuracy. Aim: To evaluate tumor thickness in three dimensions on MRI and whether it correlates well with final histopathology so as to assess its reliability in staging and planning treatment. Material and Methods: Fifty patients with biopsy proven squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue who were planned for surgery and willing to participate in the study were included. These patients underwent MRI to analyse tumor thickness and extent of tumor spread in three planes and it is correlated with final histopathology to assess the reliability of MRI in preoperative assessment. Setting and Design: This is a prospective study, conducted at a tertiary care hospital and research centre. Correlation and linear regression analysis were used to study the relationship between tumor dimensions in MRI and correlated with the results on final histopathology. Result: In this prospective study, we studied fifty cases of carcinoma tongue of which 38 were males and 12 were females. Mean age was 49 years. The tumor thickness on MRI correlated well with final histopathology and most values fell below the 1:1 (x=y) line of agreement. Also, depth of invasion on histopathology was correlated with MRI which also related well to the histopathology taking into account the shrinkage. Conclusion: There was a significant correlation between the MRI T staging and final histopathology and it is found that MRI findings and depth correlated well with final histopathology taking into account the shrinkage factor.