Interventional real-time optical imaging guidance for complete tumor ablation

Area of Science:

• Oncologic Imaging
• Interventional Radiology
• Biophotonics

Background:

• Complete tumor ablation remains challenging, particularly for larger or irregular malignancies.
• Intraprocedural monitoring is crucial for ensuring effective treatment and preventing recurrence.
• Current ablation guidance techniques may lack the sensitivity to detect residual viable tumor cells.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate an interventional optical imaging (OI) technique for real-time guidance of complete tumor ablation.
• To optimize indocyanine green (ICG) based OI protocols for differentiating viable from nonviable tumor tissue.
• To assess the feasibility of OI for monitoring radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in preclinical models.

Main Methods:

• Optimized experimental protocols for ICG concentration and detection time windows.
• Developed an interventional OI system to evaluate ablation effects on ICG-labeled tumor cells.
• Validated the system's sensitivity in differentiating residual viable tumors from ablated nonviable tumors using animal models.
• Performed statistical comparisons of signal-to-background ratios (SBRs) and confirmed findings with pathology.

Main Results:

• Optimal ICG concentration and detection time were 100 μg/mL at 24 hours.
• Interventional OI showed significantly higher fluorescence in viable ICG cells compared to nonviable cells (189.3 ± 7.6 vs. 63.7 ± 5.7 au, P < 0.001).
• The technique successfully differentiated tumor zones and demonstrated higher SBR for residual viable tumors (2.54 ± 0.31 vs. 0.57 ± 0.05, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The developed interventional OI technique enables instant detection of residual tumors during ablation.
• This technology allows for immediate guidance of repeat ablations, ensuring complete tumor eradication.
• The innovative OI approach has the potential to significantly advance tumor ablation technology for improved cancer treatment outcomes.