Towards an optical biopsy for the diagnosis of breast cancer in vivo by endogenous fluorescence spectroscopy.
The techniques of medical imaging allow the detection of suspect lesions in the breast, but they do not always evidence the malignant nature of these lesions. Breast biopsies and histological analyses are therefore implemented to establish a diagnosis. In order to reduce the number of these invasive procedures, a portable clinical system was designed based upon the excitation of Endogenous Fluorescence in vivo at 405 nm via a fiber-optics probe included in a disposable needle of small diameter (<1 mm). From the fluorescence signal, the authors are able to discriminate between diseased and healthy areas of human breast biopsies. Stronger fluorescence intensity and systematic spectral red shift of the tumor areas were observed. These results are confirmed by confocal microscopy. This new instrument is promising for the minimally invasive diagnosis of breast tumors in vivo with an appreciable limitation of patient trauma and of operational and financial cost.
Alchab
Lama
L
Centre de Photonique Biomédicale, Centre Laser de l'Université Paris-Sud 11, Faculté des Sciences d'Orsay, Orsay cedex, France.
Dupuis
Guillaume
G
Balleyguier
Corinne
C
Mathieu
Marie-Christine
MC
Fontaine-Aupart
Marie-Pierre
MP
Farcy
René
R
D001706:Biopsy; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005336:Fiber Optic Technology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D055095:Optics and Photonics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods