title: Low-coherence enhanced backscattering and its applications.
abstract: The phenomenon of enhanced backscattering (EBS) of light, also known as coherent backscattering, has been the object of intensive investigation in non-biological media over the last two decades. However, there have been only a few attempts to explore EBS for tissue characterization and diagnosis. We have recently made progress in the EBS measurements in tissue by taking advantage of low spatial coherence illumination, which has led us to the development of low-coherence enhanced backscattering (LEBS) as a technique to characterize living tissue. In this paper, we review the current state of research on LEBS. In particular, we show that LEBS spectroscopy enables detection of early microarchitectural changes in tissue associated with carcinogenesis prior to the development of histologically-detectable alterations as well as any other known markers of neoplasia. Thus, LEBS may offer insights into initial events in carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, IL, USA.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Backman
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Turzhitsky
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Subramanian
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pradhan
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D003952:Diagnostic Imaging; D006801:Humans; D008027:Light; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D012542:Scattering, Radiation