Role of bioimpedance in cancer detection: A brief review

Bioimpedance is a term, which describes the response of living organisms to an externally applied current. It is a measure of opposition to the flow of the applied current through tissues. The measurement of bioimpedance of a living organism is non-invasive method for assessing its composition. A bioimpedance signal can be used for characterizing the tissue. The electrical properties of tissue vary with different applied frequencies. Bioimpedance is a well-established method in detecting breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer, etc. The studies showed that there are significant differences in bioimpedance between normal tissues and cancerous tissue. With this view in mind narrative review article is written to deliberate role of bioimpedance in various malignancies of the body. We also discussed studies done on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and realized the need for more studies especially on oral potentially malignant disorders and OSCC together. The role of bioimpedance in malignancies was searched in databases such as PUBMED and SCOPUS with no restriction to the date of publication. Articles published in English medical literature on OSCC have been selected for discussion.