Optical Spectroscopic Detection and Imaging of Breast Cancer
Creators: name: University Of California Office Of The President
Publisher: name: University of California Office of the President
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/00dmfq477
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2024

description: The development of mammography and the implementation of regular screening programs have had a significant impact on breast cancer mortality. However, there remain the problems of both sensitivity and 'false negative' mammograms, which result in unnecessary follow-up and biopsies. We are examining an alternative approach to breast cancer detection using optical methods combined with laser-based technology. Some key benefits of using light for medical imaging are the use of non-ionizing radiation and the ability to monitor small, localized regions either externally to the body or internally through small optical fibers. We predict that research in this area will provide both detection advantages and, in addition, give information regarding tissue structure, status and composition.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 This project is a collaborative effort to develop optical cancer detection and imaging technology with special attention to diagnosing breast cancer. The presence of characteristic optical "signatures" of tissue components are key to the success of any photonic imaging modality for biomedical applications. These optical "signatures" may arise from differences in the biochemical and/or structural characteristics of the tissues. The differences at the cellular level (size of the cells and the nucleus, density and makeup) between cancerous and normal tissue offers the basis for the development of such optical imaging technology and novel instrumentation for quick, accurate, and minimally invasive cancer detection. This technology has the potential to provide detection and imaging of cancerous lesions 1 mm in diameter or smaller, which is more than an order of magnitude better than mammography. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 To achieve our goals we will explore two independent approaches. The first approach takes advantage of the polarization property of light. When polarized light is propagating in a tissue, the polarization of the scattered light is sensitive to the structure of the tissue. This property can be used to separate out different tissue components, such as those present in cancerous cells and tissues. Additional information can be obtained by performing a multicolor analysis of this effect. The second approach utilizes the properties of tissue biomolecules to absorb light and re-emit at a different spectral region. We predict that this re-emission effect will reveal cancer specific biomolecules that differentiate the cancer from normal breast tissue. Preliminary experimental results show the presence of such emission signatures from breast cancer under 'photoexcitation' with red laser light. Thus, we plan to expand these observations and explore the sensitivity and selectivity limits of both the polarization and re-emission properties inherent in our optical/laser methods. In all these experiments, we will use fresh surgical samples where the diagnosis of the lesion is. We will also be able to perform independent biochemical analysis to validate the optical/laser results. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The long term objective of our research is to develop: a) minimally invasive detection techniques for cancer using optical fibers inserted in very thin needles, and b) cancer imaging systems to be used during lumpectomy to assist the surgeon detect and excise cancer. We will also investigate the cancer specific optical "signatures" using microscopic techniques to reveal their origin at the cellular level.