Multidimensional non-linear laser imaging of Basal Cell Carcinoma.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Dermatology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a common skin cancer.
• Accurate and non-invasive diagnostic methods are crucial for BCC management.
• Current imaging techniques have limitations in differentiating BCC from healthy tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a multidimensional non-linear laser imaging approach for visualizing ex-vivo basal cell carcinoma (BCC) samples.
• To identify morphological, biochemical, and physiochemical differences between BCC and healthy skin.
• To assess the potential of aminolevulinic acid as a contrast agent for BCC border detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a combination of fluorescence lifetime, multispectral two-photon, and second-harmonic generation imaging.
• Applied these techniques to image different layers of ex-vivo skin samples, including BCC and healthy tissue.
• Correlated laser imaging findings with histopathological images for morphological validation.

Main Results:

• Identified distinct differences between BCC and normal skin, including blue-shifted fluorescence emission and increased fluorescence response at 800 nm excitation.
• Observed a slightly longer mean fluorescence lifetime in BCC compared to healthy skin.
• Demonstrated that aminolevulinic acid enhances contrast for improved tumor border detection.

Conclusions:

• Multidimensional non-linear laser imaging effectively differentiates BCC from healthy skin based on optical properties.
• The identified optical signatures provide a basis for non-invasive BCC diagnosis.
• Further development of this technique holds promise for in-vivo, non-invasive imaging of basal cell carcinoma.