Multiphoton Microscopy for Identifying Collagen Signatures Associated with Biochemical Recurrence in Prostate Cancer...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biophysics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Prostate cancer exhibits variable behavior, making aggressive tumor identification challenging with current methods.
• The tumor stroma plays a role in prostate cancer progression, but stromal profiling lacks advanced imaging adoption.
• Current histopathological criteria focus on glandular tissue, potentially overlooking stromal contributions to tumor behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify prostate stromal features associated with aggressive tumor behavior and clinical outcomes using label-free multiphoton microscopy (MPM).
• To investigate the potential of MPM-identified stromal signatures for predicting post-surgical prostate cancer recurrence.

Main Methods:

• Label-free multiphoton microscopy (MPM) was employed on unstained prostatectomy and biopsy specimens.
• MPM was used to image tissue with stromal-specific contrast, analyzing collagen content, organization, and morphology.
• Extracted MPM signatures were screened for association with post-surgical disease recurrence in 59 prostatectomy and 17 biopsy patients.

Main Results:

• Tumors from patients with recurrent disease showed significantly higher MPM-identified collagen amount compared to non-recurrent cases.
• Increased collagen fiber intensity signal and width were observed in tumors associated with recurrent prostate cancer.
• A significant association was found between MPM-identified stromal collagen features and post-surgical disease recurrence.

Conclusions:

• MPM can effectively profile prostate tumor stroma, revealing features linked to aggressive behavior.
• MPM-identified stromal collagen characteristics show potential as biomarkers for predicting prostate cancer recurrence risk.
• This approach offers a novel, label-free method for assessing stromal contributions to prostate cancer prognosis.