Fluorescence lifetime of normal, benign, and malignant thyroid tissues

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Diagnostics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Fine-needle aspiration cytology is standard for thyroid pathology diagnosis but has limitations.
• Inconclusive results and false negatives are common with current methods.
• Time-resolved fluorescence offers a potential minimally invasive, nondestructive diagnostic approach.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of fluorescence lifetimes for differentiating thyroid tissues.
• To distinguish between healthy, benign, and malignant thyroid lesions using fluorescence.

Main Methods:

• Thyroid tissue samples were analyzed using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy.
• Excitation was performed at 298-300 nm, with emission registered at 340 nm and 450 nm.
• Analysis of variance and quadratic discriminant analysis were used for statistical evaluation.

Main Results:

• Distinct fluorescence lifetimes were observed for healthy, benign, and malignant thyroid tissues at both emission wavelengths.
• Malignant lesions showed significantly different fluorescence lifetimes compared to healthy and benign tissues.
• Quadratic discriminant analysis achieved 76.1% accuracy, 74.7% sensitivity, and 83.3% specificity.

Conclusions:

• Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy can effectively differentiate malignant thyroid tissues.
• This technique shows potential as an adjunct tool for intraoperative assessment of thyroid pathologies.
• The method offers a non-destructive, minimally invasive approach to improve diagnostic accuracy during surgery.