Potential of sonography in diagnosis of tongue tumors

Purpose of the study. An analysis of sonography potential in the primary diagnosis and clinical staging of tongue cancer.

Patients and methods. The study included 18 patients aged 40–70 years with tongue tumors. The majority accounted males – 14 (77.7 %). Women were represented by 4 (22.2 %) examinees. Ultrasound examinations were performed using expert-class ultrasound systems with broadband linear multifrequency transducers. Transoral examination with linear transducers required tumor location in the anterior and lateral parts of the oral tongue. During ultrasound examinations we evaluated: tumor shape, tumor invasion depth; tumor sizes – width and thickness; tumor echogenicity and structure; tumor vascularization in Doppler modes. The results were compared with the data of histological examination.

Results. Transoral ultrasound examination of patients with tongue cancer allows clear visualization of the tumor and assessment of it’s spread. The study showed that the round shape of tongue tumors prevailed in 13 (72.2 %) patients, the tumor echo structure in 10 (55.5 %) was heterogeneous, the contours were even and clear in the majority of patients – 13 (72.2 %), all tumors showed a reduced acoustic density, the depth of invasion ranged from 2 to 6 mm in 8 (44.4 %) patients and exceeded 6 mm in 6 (33.3 %) patients, which corresponded to stages III and IV of the diseas. Doppler ultrasonography recorded intense intratumoral blood flow in 100 % of cases. In 8 (44.4 %) cases, metastatic lesions of the cervical lymph nodes were observed.

Conclusion. Transoral ultrasound diagnosis of tongue cancer is a highly informative, safe and modern method providing surgeons with information that helps in choosing the scope of surgical treatment and in determining the disease prognosis at the preoperative stage. The accuracy of the method was 87 %, the sensitivity was 85 %, and the specificity was 86.2 %.

1. Alieva SB, Alymov YuV, Kropotov MA. Cancer of the oral mucosa. Oncology. Clinical recommendations. Ed. by M. I. Davydov. Moscow: Publishing Group of the Russian Research Center, 2015, 27–37 p. (In Russ.).

2. Kit OI, Duritskiy MN, Shelyakina TV, Engibaryan MA. Some characteristics of detection of oncological diseases of head and neck organs in cancer institution and institution of general health services. Modern Problems of Science and Education. 2015;(4):451. (In Russ.).

3. Malignant neoplasms in Russia in 2017 (morbidity and mortality). Edited by A.D. Kaprin, V.V. Starinsky, G.V. Petrova. Moscow: P. A. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute – Branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre, 2018, 250 p. (In Russ.).

4. Gelfand IM, Romanov IS, Udintsov DB. Treatment policy for localized oral cancer. Head and Neck Tumors (HNT). 2016;6(1):43–45. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.17650/2222-1468-2016-6-1-43-45

5. Bolotina LV, Vladimirova LYu, Dengina NV, Novik AV, Romanov IS. Practical recommendations for the treatment of malignant tumors of the head and neck. Malignant tumors: Practical Recommendations RUSSCO #3s2. 2018;8(3S2):71–82. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18027/2224-5057-2018-8-3s2-71-82

6. Paches AI. Tumors of the head and neck. 5th ed., add. and reprint. Moscow: Practical Medicine, 2013, 480 p. (In Russ.).

7. Stepanov SO, Mitina LA, Ratushnaya VV, Dolgacheva DV, Soloviev VA, Kolesnikova EV. Ultrasound diagnostics of tumors of the tongue. Oncosurgery. 2013;5(4):4–7. Available at: http://oncosurgery.oncology.ru/archive/2013/04/1.htm. Accessed: 02.04.2021.

8. Allahverdieva GF, Sinyukova GT, Kropotov MA, Mudunov AM, Yakovleva LP, Saprina OA, et al. Ultrasound diagnosis of tongue cancer. Determination of the depth of tumor invasion. Malignant Tumors. 2015;(4S2(16)):49–52. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18027/2224-5057-2015-4s2-49-52

9. Soloviev VA, Reshetov IV, Mitina LA, Stepanov SO, Kazakevich VI, Shcherbina VG, Borodina NB. Ultrasound examination in cases of tongue and floor of the mouth cancer. Medical Visualization. 2015;1:26–31. (In Russ.).

10. Soloviev VA, Ratushnaya VV, Mitina LA, Stepanov SO. Capabilities of ultrasound diagnosis of early tumors of the tongue. SonoAce Ultrasound. 2021;33:58–62. (In Russ.).