Noninvasive evaluation of nuclear morphometry in breast lesions using multispectral diffuse optical tomography.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death in women globally.
• Current breast cancer detection tools have limitations, necessitating novel early detection methods.
• Accurate classification of breast lesions is crucial for effective treatment.

Observation:

• Multispectral diffuse optical tomography (DOT) was employed for non-invasive evaluation of nuclear morphometry.
• Photon densities on the breast surface were measured to extract nuclear size, elongation, and density.
• The study included 14 patients with 4 malignant and 10 benign lesions.

Findings:

• Significant contrasts were observed between nuclei in malignant and surrounding normal tissues.
• Recovered nuclear morphological parameters correlated well with pathological findings.
• Cancer cell nuclei were less spherical than normal cell nuclei, with nuclear density showing the highest contrast.

Implications:

• Multispectral DOT shows potential as a cellular imaging technique for breast cancer.
• This method could lead to more accurate and earlier determination of breast cancer.
• Non-invasive nuclear morphometry analysis may improve breast lesion classification and patient outcomes.