Optical biomarkers for breast cancer derived from dynamic diffuse optical tomography

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging
• Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is a noninvasive imaging technique using near-infrared light.
• Dynamic DOT allows studying breast hemodynamics during breath-holds.
• Existing methods for breast cancer detection often involve ionizing radiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate dynamic DOT's ability to differentiate healthy, benign, and malignant breast tissues.
• To assess hemodynamic changes in breast tissue during and after a breath-hold.
• To identify dynamic DOT features indicative of breast cancer.

Main Methods:

• Dynamic DOT imaging was performed on 21 subjects (3 healthy, 8 benign, 14 malignant).
• Three-dimensional time-series images of oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin changes were acquired.
• Hemodynamic responses during a breath-hold and subsequent recovery were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Deoxygenated hemoglobin ([Hb]) levels remained near baseline in healthy breasts post-breath-hold (1.6%±0.5%) but were elevated in tumor-bearing breasts (6.8%±3.6%, p<0.01).
• Breast cancer patients showed lower inter-breast correlation of hemodynamic changes compared to healthy subjects (healthy: 0.96±0.02; malignant: 0.78±0.23, p<0.05).
• Dynamic DOT features effectively distinguished between healthy and diseased breast tissues.

Conclusions:

• Dynamic DOT imaging reveals distinct hemodynamic patterns in healthy versus diseased breast tissues.
• These dynamic features offer a physiological, non-ionizing method for breast cancer identification.
• DOT shows promise as a complementary tool for breast cancer screening and diagnosis.