title: Optically measured microvascular blood flow contrast of malignant breast tumors.
abstract: Microvascular blood flow contrast is an important hemodynamic and metabolic parameter with potential to enhance in vivo breast cancer detection and therapy monitoring. Here we report on non-invasive line-scan measurements of malignant breast tumors with a hand-held optical probe in the remission geometry. The probe employs diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS), a near-infrared optical method that quantifies deep tissue microvascular blood flow. Tumor-to-normal perfusion ratios are derived from thirty-two human subjects. Mean (95% confidence interval) tumor-to-normal ratio using surrounding normal tissue was 2.25 (1.92-2.63); tumor-to-normal ratio using normal tissues at the corresponding tumor location in the contralateral breast was 2.27 (1.94-2.66), and using normal tissue in the contralateral breast was 2.27 (1.90-2.70). Thus, the mean tumor-to-normal ratios were significantly different from unity irrespective of the normal tissue chosen, implying that tumors have significantly higher blood flow than normal tissues. Therefore, the study demonstrates existence of breast cancer contrast in blood flow measured by DCS. The new, optically accessible cancer contrast holds potential for cancer detection and therapy monitoring applications, and it is likely to be especially useful when combined with diffuse optical spectroscopy/tomography.
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
authors: Regine
authors: R
authors: Choe
authors: Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Mary E
authors: ME
authors: Putt
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
authors: Peter M
authors: PM
authors: Carlile
authors: ICFO- Institut de Ciències Fotòniques, Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain.
authors: Turgut
authors: T
authors: Durduran
authors: Department of Astronomy & Physics, Eastern University, St. Davids, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Joseph M
authors: JM
authors: Giammarco
authors: Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America; The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: David R
authors: DR
authors: Busch
authors: Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
authors: Ki Won
authors: KW
authors: Jung
authors: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Brian J
authors: BJ
authors: Czerniecki
authors: Department of Surgery, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Julia
authors: J
authors: Tchou
authors: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Michael D
authors: MD
authors: Feldman
authors: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Carolyn
authors: C
authors: Mies
authors: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Mark A
authors: MA
authors: Rosen
authors: Department of Radiology, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Mitchell D
authors: MD
authors: Schnall
authors: Department of Medicine (Hematology/Oncology), Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: DeMichele
authors: Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America.
authors: Arjun G
authors: AG
authors: Yodh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000098:blood supply*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D055806:Microvessels / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012039:Regional Blood Flow