Objective detection of oral carcinoma with multispectral fluorescence lifetime imaging in vivo

Successful early detection and demarcation of oral carcinoma can greatly impact the associated morbidity and mortality rates. Current methods for detection of oral cancer include comprehensive visual examination of the oral cavity, typically followed by tissue biopsy. A noninvasive means to guide the clinician in making a more objective and informed decision toward tissue biopsy can potentially improve the diagnostic yield of this process. To this end, we investigate the potential of fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) for objective detection of oral carcinoma in the hamster cheek pouch model of oral carcinogenesis in vivo. We report that systematically selected FLIM features can differentiate between low‐risk (normal, benign and low‐grade dysplasia) and high‐risk (high‐grade dysplasia and cancer) oral lesions with sensitivity and specificity of 87.26% and 93.96%, respectively. We also show the ability of FLIM to generate “disease” maps of the tissue which can be used to evaluate relative risk of neoplasia. The results demonstrate the potential of multispectral FLIM with objective image analysis as a noninvasive tool to guide comprehensive oral examination.