Microscale characterization of prostate biopsies tissues using optical coherence elastography and second harmonic...

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Biomedical Imaging
• Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• Prostate cancer diagnosis relies on histopathology, which can be subjective.
• Novel imaging techniques are needed for objective characterization of prostate tissue microstructure.
• Optical coherence elastography (OCE) and second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging offer high-resolution insights into tissue biomechanics and structural organization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of OCE and SHG imaging in distinguishing prostate cancer from benign tissue.
• To assess the ability of OCE and SHG imaging to characterize prostate cancer grade and aggressiveness.
• To explore the complementary nature of OCE (tissue stiffness) and SHG (collagen structure) in prostate cancer assessment.

Main Methods:

• Utilized OCE to measure Young's modulus (tissue stiffness) and SHG to analyze collagen fiber orientation (anisotropic to isotropic ratio).
• Analyzed biopsy tissues from men suspected of prostate cancer.
• Correlated imaging findings with histological diagnosis and Gleason scores.

Main Results:

• OCE showed significantly higher stiffness in cancerous tissue (698.43 kPa) compared to benign tissue (443.07 kPa).
• OCE and SHG achieved high diagnostic accuracy (e.g., 89.6% sensitivity, 99.8% specificity for OCE using a 600 kPa threshold).
• Both OCE (Young's modulus) and SHG (A:I ratio) demonstrated significant correlations with Gleason scores and disease aggressiveness.

Conclusions:

• OCE and SHG imaging are accurate and complementary photonic tools for prostate cancer detection and characterization.
• These techniques can objectively delineate tissue microstructure, aiding in distinguishing malignant from benign tissues.
• The findings suggest potential for these modalities to assist in grading prostate cancer and assessing its aggressiveness.