A Novel Optical Bioimaging Method for Direct Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Chemotherapy Response at Laparoscopy

In patients with advanced ovarian cancer (AOC), additional imaging of disseminated disease at laparoscopy could complement conventional imaging for estimation of chemotherapy response. We developed an image segmentation method and evaluated its use in making accurate and objective measurements of peritoneal metastases in comparison to Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria. A software tool using a custom ImageJ macro-based approach was employed to estimate lesion size by converting image pixels into unit length. The software tool was tested as a proof-of-principle in an AOC patient with two isolated peritoneal deposits. Image analysis of representative laparoscopic snapshots before and after three cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) revealed an average tumor nodule response ratio (TNRR) of 40% (partial response), which was in concordance with RECIST evaluation by computed tomography (CT). We demonstrated the feasibility of using this novel anatomical analysis for direct assessment of chemotherapy response in an AOC patient as an adjunct to RECIST criteria.