Multivariate analysis of breast tissue using optical parameters extracted from a combined time-resolved fluorescence...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Optics
• Surgical Oncology
• Medical Physics

Background:

• Breast conservation therapy is standard for primary breast cancers.
• Accurate determination of tumor margins remains a clinical challenge due to ill-defined tumor borders.
• A need exists for a clinically compatible system to detect tumor margins during surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a combined time-resolved fluorescence and diffuse reflectance (TRF-DR) system for breast tissue classification.
• To improve the accuracy of tumor margin detection to aid surgical decision-making.
• To enhance the capabilities of optical techniques for intraoperative tumor margin assessment.

Main Methods:

• Collected normal and tumor breast tissue from 80 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma.
• Measured tissue optical properties using a combined TRF-DR system.
• Analyzed spectral data using principal component analysis and decision tree modeling, comparing TRF-only, DR-only, and combined TRF-DR datasets.

Main Results:

• TRF-DR system demonstrated improved tissue classification capabilities compared to individual techniques.
• Classification modeling using combined TRF-DR data achieved a sensitivity of 85.6% and specificity of 95.3% for tumor margin detection.
• DR-only modeling showed higher sensitivity (80.4%) and specificity (94.0%) than TRF-only (72.3% sensitivity, 88.3% specificity).

Conclusions:

• The combined TRF-DR optical system offers enhanced capability for breast tissue classification and tumor margin detection.
• Further research, particularly on fibroglandular tissue, could further refine the system's classification accuracy.
• The developed system shows promise for intraoperative application in guiding breast cancer surgery.