Background: Optical diagnostic methods may simplify and improve the early diagnosis of tumours of the upper aerodigestive tract; however, these have not yet found their way into clinical routine.
Objective: This article aims to define the problems that have prevented routine use of optical diagnostic methods so far, as well as listing and also explaining potential trendsetting approaches to overcome these difficulties.
Materials and methods: The study is based on a combined analysis of publically accessible databases (PubMed MEDLINE, Thompson Reuters Web of Science, SPIE. Digital Library; full time period available; search strings: "oral cavity", "pharynx", "larnyx", "optical diagnosis", "optical biopsy", "optical coherence tomography", "confocal endomicroscopy", "fluorescence endoscopy", "narrow band imaging", "non-linear imaging", "fluorescence lifetime imaging"), as well as personal experiences.
Results: Both conceptual and methodical problems were determined, and possible solutions based on current developments are discussed.
Conclusion: Optical diagnostic methods have the potential to revolutionise early diagnosis of upper aerodigestive tract malignancies, providing the different hurdles listed in this review can be overcome.
Keywords: Early diagnosis; Larynx; Optical imaging; Pharynx; Upper aerodigestive tract neoplasms.