title: Variability of spectra of laser-induced fluorescence of colonic mucosa: its significance for fluorescence detection of colonic neoplasia.
abstract: To determine the extent of a natural variability of the spectra of the autofluorescence and its significance for a reproducibility of different approaches typically used in studies on fluorescence detection of colonic lesions. Two independent series of experiments have been conducted during three years in the same laboratory. Macroscopic tissue specimens obtained during operations of patients with colonic cancers were studied in vitro. The tissues were excited using UV lines of c.w. He-Cd laser and pulsed nitrogen laser and the autofluorescence spectra were recorded for areas visually diagnosed as normal or pathologically changed mucosa. Natural variability of the autofluorescence spectra of colonic tissues seems to be most important factor limiting sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic algorithms. The mean fluorescence spectra obtained for normal mucosa and its neoplastic lesions differ significantly but the differences are difficult to observe because of the high natural variability among the individual spectra. Further studies of biological basis of the colonic autofluorescence are necessary for a progress in the field of fluorescence detection of colonic neoplastic lesions.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Group of Optical Methods of Early Detection of Cancer, Institute of General and Molecular Biology, Nicholas Copernicus University, ul. Gagarina 9, PL 87-100 Toruń, Poland. chwirot@biol.uni.torun.pl
authors.forename: Barbara W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Chwirot
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kowalska
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Płóciennik
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piwiński
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Michniewicz
authors.forename: Stanisław
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chwirot
mesh_terms: D003106:Colon / Q000737:chemistry*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000737:chemistry*; D007834:Lasers; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays