Effectiveness of narrow band imaging in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma after treatment.

BACKGROUND We evaluated the effectiveness of narrow band imaging (NBI) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) after treatment. METHODS In all, 101 consecutive OSCC patients underwent NBI examination for posttreatment follow-up. Four patients had local recurrence. Twenty-six second primary malignancies were found in 18 patients; 6 patients (33%) had more than 1 lesion. Seventeen lesions (65%) were carcinoma in situ or severe dysplasia. Most of them occurred in the oral cavity (77%). RESULTS A higher incidence (18% vs 9%, p = .037) and less-advanced stage (4% vs 37%, p = .0005) of second primary malignancies were found among the NBI group compared with a previous cohort without NBI examination, and fewer patients needed postoperative adjuvant therapy (12% vs 50%, p = .0005). CONCLUSIONS NBI is an effective method to identify early lesions in the head and neck area, especially the oral cavity, among patients with OSCC after treatment.