Evaluation of various staining methods for oral cancer diagnosis

Background: Oral cancer remains a major health concern, with many cases discovered at an advanced stage due to delayed and insufficient diagnostic methods. Histological staining techniques play an important role in early and precise detection. This study will assess the effectiveness of haematoxylin and eosin (H and E), Toluidine blue and immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining methods in detecting oral cancer in tissue slices. Materials and Methods: A total of 45 tissue samples were obtained from patients with clinically and histologically diagnosed oral cancer. These samples were separated into three groups and stained with H and E, TB and IHC markers (p53 and Ki 67, respectively). Three pathologists independently examined the stained sections for cellular morphology, nuclear detail, and differentiation grade. Quantitative and qualitative assessments were carried out using a grading system based on sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy. Results: Toluidine blue had a diagnostic accuracy of 83%, recognising cellular shape but lacked specificity for weakly differentiated cancer. H &E staining has moderate diagnostic relevance (74% accuracy), identifying glycogen and mucopolysaccharides in tumour cells. IHC staining had the highest diagnostic accuracy of 90%, providing comprehensive nuclear and cytoplasmic characteristics and detecting particular biomarkers (P < 0.05). Inter observer agreement was greatest for IHC staining. Conclusion: IHC staining was found to be the most reliable method for identifying oral cancer, with higher sensitivity and specificity than H&E and Toluidine blue procedures. Integrating IHC into standard diagnostic workflows can improve early identification and treatment outcomes.