title: Imaging cervical cytology with scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) coupled with an IR-FEL.
abstract: Cervical cancer remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality among women, especially in the developing world. Increased synthesis of proteins, lipids and nucleic acids is a pre-condition for the rapid proliferation of cancer cells. We show that scanning near-field optical microscopy, in combination with an infrared free electron laser (SNOM-IR-FEL), is able to distinguish between normal and squamous low-grade and high-grade dyskaryosis, and between normal and mixed squamous/glandular pre-invasive and adenocarcinoma cervical lesions, at designated wavelengths associated with DNA, Amide I/II and lipids. These findings evidence the promise of the SNOM-IR-FEL technique in obtaining chemical information relevant to the detection of cervical cell abnormalities and cancer diagnosis at spatial resolutions below the diffraction limit (≥0.2 μm). We compare these results with analyses following attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy; although this latter approach has been demonstrated to detect underlying cervical atypia missed by conventional cytology, it is limited by a spatial resolution of ~3 μm to 30 μm due to the optical diffraction limit.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biophotonics, LEC, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Diane E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Halliwell
authors.affiliation: Biological Chemistry and Chemometrics, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59072-970, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Camilo L M
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.affiliation: Biological Chemistry and Chemometrics, Institute of Chemistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59072-970, RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Kássio M G
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Lima
authors.affiliation: Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics and Atmospheric Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Trevisan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Building, Liverpool, UK.|Accelerator Science and Technology Centre (ASTEC), STFC Daresbury Laboratory, UK.
authors.forename: Michele R F
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Siggel-King
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Building, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Craig
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Building, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ingham
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Building, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biophotonics, LEC, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
authors.forename: Kelly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Heys
authors.affiliation: Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Department of Surgery &Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.|West London Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Imperial College NHS Healthcare, London, UK.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kyrgiou
authors.affiliation: Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Department of Surgery &Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College, London, UK.|West London Gynaecological Cancer Centre, Imperial College NHS Healthcare, London, UK.
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mitra
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Paraskevaidis
authors.affiliation: St James Hospital, Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Theophilou
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biophotonics, LEC, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust Foundation, Preston, UK.
authors.forename: Pierre L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Martin-Hirsch
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cricenti
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Struttura della Materia, CNR, via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Luce
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Liverpool, Oliver Lodge Building, Liverpool, UK.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Weightman
authors.affiliation: Centre for Biophotonics, LEC, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.|School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
authors.forename: Francis L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Martin
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry; D004583:Electrons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D055815:Young Adult; D002578:Uterine Cervical Dysplasia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008055:Lipids; D004247:DNA