Finally, a High Contrast 3-D Imaging for Breast Cancer
The first three-dimensional optical images of human breast cancer in patients based on tissue fluorescence have been created by University of Pennsylvania researchers.
Fluorescence diffuse optical tomography, or FDOT, relies on the presence of fluorophore molecules in tissue that re-radiate fluorescent light after illumination by excitation light of a different color.
The reconstructed images demonstrated significant tumor contrast compared to typical endogenous optical contrast in breast.
According to Arjun Yodh, professor of physics at Penn:
“Previously, the FDOT technique was used for in-vivo imaging of animal tissues, but ours is the first successful demonstration of its use to detect cancer in deep-tissue, human breast imaging.
The potential uses of optical fluorophores bear close resemblance to the use of contrast agents in PET and MRI.
Successful FDOT represents a critical first step towards application of molecular imaging probes such as dyes and molecular beacons that bind to tumor-specific receptors in deep tissue, a current direction for biomedical optics research.”
Bottomline is, experts now have a tool that can potentially look better into the physiology of a tumor, including tissue oxygen, tissue pH and tissue calcium concentration levels.
Read the full report at UPenn.
[In photo: Image slices from 3D tomographic reconstructions display the contrasts of the following physiological parameters: Total hemoglogin concentration (THC), oxygen saturation (StO2), reduced scattering and fluorophore (ICG) concentration; Credit: Image courtesy of University of Pennsylvania]
Tags: breast-cancer-imaging, FDOT, Fluorescence-diffuse-optical-tomographyRelated Stories
POSTED IN: on anti-cancer ingredients, on breast cancer
0 opinions for Finally, a High Contrast 3-D Imaging for Breast Cancer
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: