title: Infrared micro-spectroscopy for cyto-pathological classification of esophageal cells.
abstract: We report results from a study utilizing infrared spectral cytopathology (SCP) to detect abnormalities in exfoliated esophageal cells. SCP has been developed over the past decade as an ancillary tool to classical cytopathology. In SCP, the biochemical composition of individual cells is probed by collecting infrared absorption spectra from each individual, unstained cell, and correlating the observed spectral patterns, and the variations therein, against classical diagnostic methods to obtain an objective, machine-based classification of cells. In the past, SCP has been applied to the analysis and classification of cells exfoliated from the cervix and the oral cavity. In these studies, it was established that SCP can distinguish normal and abnormal cell types. Furthermore, SCP can differentiate between truly normal cells, and cells with normal morphology from the vicinity of abnormalities. Thus, SCP may be a valuable tool for the screening of early stages of dysplasia and pre-cancer.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Spectral Diagnosis, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA. m.diem@neu.edu.
authors.forename: Douglas
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: Miloš
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miljković
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bird
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lenau
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Old
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Neil
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shepherd
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stone
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diem
mesh_terms: D001471:Barrett Esophagus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D004947:Esophagus / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D061848:Optical Imaging; D013055:Spectrophotometry, Infrared