Miniaturized optical fiber probe for prostate cancer screening

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Sensing Technology
• Prostate Cancer Diagnostics

Background:

• Prostate cancer diagnosis relies on tissue elasticity, a biomarker often assessed manually via digital rectal examination.
• Current manual methods have limitations, including a low positive predictive value (42%), necessitating more objective diagnostic tools.
• Changes in prostate morphology due to malignancy significantly impact its mechanical properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a miniaturized, high-resolution optical fiber probe for mechanical characterization of prostate tissue.
• To enable objective, spatially selective assessment of tissue elasticity for improved prostate cancer diagnosis.
• To create a device potentially usable for direct *in vivo* mechanical measurements.

Main Methods:

• Development of a probe utilizing Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) optical fiber sensor technology.
• Integration of the FBG sensor into a metallic cannula, controlled by a robotic arm for precise tissue indentation.
• Measurement of local indentation force with a resolution of 0.97 mN.
• Validation using phantom tissues mimicking prostate cancer and preliminary *ex vivo* experiments on surgical specimens.

Main Results:

• The developed optical probe achieved sub-millimeter resolution for mechanical property measurements.
• Measurements demonstrated the device's capability to differentiate healthy prostate tissue from cancerous zones in phantoms.
• Preliminary *ex vivo* results corroborated the findings from phantom studies.

Conclusions:

• The miniaturized optical fiber probe offers a sensitive and high-resolution method for *in vivo* mechanical tissue characterization.
• This technology provides a foundation for advanced optical probes integrated into biopsy needles for direct mechanical measurements.
• The findings support the potential for enhanced early diagnosis and improved accuracy in prostate cancer detection.