Role of Multidetector CT Scan in Staging of Carcinoma of Buccal Mucosa, Taking Histopathology as Gold Standard

Background: Buccal mucosa carcinoma is one of the common forms of oral cancer and has been associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. Accurate pre-operative staging is required in order to facilitate treatment planning and improve outcomes of patients. MDCT is widely used in assessment of the local spread of the tumor and lymph node status, whereas histopathology confirms the stage of the disease. Objective: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Multidetector Computed Tomography Scan in staging of carcinoma of buccal mucosa by using histopathology as gold standard. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Radiology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi, from 21 February 2025 to 20 June 2025. A total of 205 patients aged 18–60 years with suspected buccal mucosa cancer were included by non-probability consecutive sampling. All patients underwent Multidetector Computed Tomography Scan followed by biopsy and histopathological examination. Diagnostic performance was determined by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy. Data were analysed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 26. Results: The mean age was 39.68 ± 10.12 years and mean duration of symptoms was 4.68 ± 2.94 months. Male patients were 159 (77.6%) and female patients were 46 (22.4%). Urban residents were 108 (52.7%) and rural residents were 97 (47.3%). Multidetector Computed Tomography Scan was positive in 83 (40.5%) patients, while histopathology confirmed carcinoma in 62 (30.2%) patients. The sensitivity was 87.10%, specificity was 79.70%, positive predictive value was 65.10%, negative predictive value was 93.40%, and overall diagnostic accuracy was 82.0%. Conclusion: Our study showed that Multidetector Computed Tomography Scan had good diagnostic performance in staging carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.