Serial endoscopy in azoxymethane treated mice using ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Imaging
• Cancer Research
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) research often utilizes mouse models.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a minimally invasive imaging technique.
• Endoscopic OCT can be adapted for small animal imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate ultrahigh resolution (UHR) OCT for monitoring colorectal cancer (CRC) progression in mouse models.
• To determine OCT's capability in identifying early neoplastic transformations.
• To assess the diagnostic accuracy of endoscopic UHR OCT for CRC in A/J mice.

Main Methods:

• Serial endoscopic imaging of azoxymethane (AOM)-treated A/J mice using UHR OCT (2.0 mm diameter).
• Four imaging timepoints (8, 14, 22, 26 weeks post-AOM) with histological correlation.
• Expert panel diagnosis from OCT images compared against blinded histological diagnoses.

Main Results:

• UHR OCT achieved high accuracy in diagnosing adenomas (95%) and protruding gastrointestinal neoplasias (GINs) (38%).
• The imaging tool visualized disease progression, showing normal tissue or GIN preceding adenoma.
• Accurate identification of disease foci, including 95% of adenomas and 76% of protruding GINs.

Conclusions:

• Endoscopic UHR OCT provides accurate diagnosis of adenomas and identification of protruding GINs.
• This technology enables non-destructive visualization of colorectal cancer progression in animal models.
• UHR OCT serves as a valuable tool for advancing colorectal cancer research in preclinical settings.