Measurements of spontaneous ultraweak photon emission and delayed luminescence from human cancer tissues.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to measure spontaneous photon emission (SPE) and delayed luminescence (DL) from various human cancer tissues.


METHODS
A photomultiplier tube attached to a dark chamber was used for the detection of ultraweak photon emission from cancer tissues in the chamber. The samples were illuminated with a 150 W metal halide lamp for the measurement of delayed luminescence. Frozen tissues were provided by the hospitals and preserved in saline solution in a CO2 incubator for 1 hour before starting the measurement of spontaneous photon emission. We successively measured the afterglows from the samples after 30-second irradiation of the lamp. The samples were divided into two groups: tumor tissues and normal tissues around tumor tissues. We presented experimental data and interpreted their characteristic patterns of spontaneous photon emission and delayed luminescence.


RESULTS
Mean values of spontaneous photon emissions from the normal tissues and the tumor tissues were measured with the standard errors of the mean as 625 +/- 419 counts/minute/cm2 (n = 6) and 982 +/- 513 counts/minute/cm2 (n = 14), respectively. Peak values of the intensity of delayed luminescence from normal and cancerous tissues were 63 +/- 20 counts/ms (n = 6) and 48 +/- 12 counts/ms (n = 14).


CONCLUSIONS
The intensity of spontaneous photon emissions from cancer tissues were mostly discriminated from those of normal tissues, and their delayed luminescent properties were investigated.
Kim
Jungdae
J
Biomedical Physics Laboratory for Korean Medicine, School of Physics, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea. jade@phya.snu.ac.kr
Choi
Chunho
C
Lim
Jaekwan
J
You
Hyeran
H
Sim
Sung-Bo
SB
Yom
Yoon-Ki
YK
Kim
Eui-Han
EH
Soh
Kwang-Sup
KS
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007890:Leiomyosarcoma / Q000737:chemistry; D049449:Luminescence; D008163:Luminescent Measurements; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D017785:Photons; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry