Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.2, 98-105 http://medscipublisher.com/index.php/cge 98 Review and Progress Open Access Prospects of Multimodal Imaging Techniques in Oral Cancer Diagnosis ManmanLi Hainan Institute of Biotechnology, Haikou, 570206, Hainan, China Corresponding email: manman.li@hibio.org Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 2025, Vol.13, No.2 doi: 10.5376/cge.2025.13.0010 Received: 03 Mar., 2025 Accepted: 11 Apr., 2025 Published: 26 Apr., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li M.M., 2025, Prospects of multimodal imaging techniques in oral cancer diagnosis, Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics, 13(2): 98-105 (doi: 10.5376/cge.2025.13.0010) Abstract This study discussed the application status and prospect of multimodal imaging in the diagnosis of oral cancer. Understanding the epidemiological characteristics, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment challenges of oral cancer underscores the importance of early detection to improve patient survival. Specific applications of multimodal imaging include the integration of fluorescence lifetime imaging, optical coherence tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, computer tomography, and positron emission tomography. By leveraging the benefits of a single mode, multimodal imaging not only improves the accuracy of detecting pathological tissue, but also provides real-time, precise guidance in the clinical setting. This study explores the achievements of multimodal imaging in clinical trials and prospective studies, as well as limitations related to device costs, data processing, system integration, and clinical adoption. In the future, the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, personalized treatment, and multidisciplinary collaboration will enable early detection and accurate diagnosis of oral cancer, improve the overall treatment effect and patient prognosis, and increase the cure rate. Keywords Oral cancer; Multimodal imaging; Early detection; Personalized treatment; Clinical application 1 Introduction Oral cancer is a global health challenge due to complex treatment and high probability of diagnosis at an advanced stage, resulting in high incidence and mortality of oral cancer (Pierce et al., 2012; Quang et al., 2017). Oral cancer has the potential to be cured if detected early, but it is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage, so the survival rate of patients with oral cancer is very low. The clinical challenge in the treatment of oral cancer is the difficulty of early detection, while ensuring that the surgical procedure is refined, healthy structures are preserved during surgery, and the cancerous tissue is completely removed (Boonstra et al., 2017). In addition, the presence of benign lesions complicates the diagnostic process, making the distinction between malignant and non-malignant tissues challenging (Pal et al., 2020). The development of multimodal imaging technology is more promising to deal with oral cancer. Multimodal imaging technology integrates multiple imaging modes, which can provide biochemical, structural and functional information of cancer cell tissues and improve diagnostic accuracy (Fatakdawala et al., 2013; Pande et al., 2016). A system combining fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIm) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) utilizes biochemical and morphological data to show greater diagnostic accuracy (Pande et al., 2016). Other systems, such as those combining wide-field fluorescence imaging and nonlinear optical microscopy, detect tumor changes in benign lesions with high sensitivity and specificity (Pal et al., 2020). The development of portable real-time imaging systems has enhanced the potential for multimodal imaging in clinical Settings, providing guidance for biopsy and treatment decisions (Coole et al., 2016; Thapa et al., 2022). This study will explore the promise of multimodal imaging in oral cancer diagnosis, the epidemiology and clinical challenges of oral cancer, and highlight the potential of multimodal imaging to improve early detection and treatment outcomes. Examining various multimodal imaging systems, multimodal imaging systems have a certain impact on diagnostic accuracy and patient management. This study aims to provide effective insights into how multimodal imaging can change oral cancer diagnosis and improve patient outcomes, increasing the opportunity for multimodal imaging to translate into real-time clinically actionable visualizations to help improve patient outcomes and hopefully increase oral cancer cure rates.
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