Cancer diagnosis via elastic scattering spectroscopy

Abstract

The goals of this study were to test the reliability of CancerScanner system whetherit can detect the optical alteration of tissue dependent on temperature and to test the systemon human tissues in which system can detect the cancerous lesions and examine the efficiency of this system. Cancerous tissue shows morphological alterations in the cellular level. Such changes may be detected by using the spectrum of the light scattered backfrom the tissue. Cell nuclei may be modelled as Mie particles that are larger than thewavelength of illuminating light. CancerScanner system is based on Mie theory and it uses elastic scattering spectroscopy method to differentiate cancerous tissue. This systemdelivers and detects white light with single optical fiber. The scattered light from tissue isdetected by a spectrometer and spectrum is analyzed in PC with software. In this thesiswork firstly CancerScanner system reliability was tested on lamb brain tissues in vitro. Tissues were coagulated at different temperatures and elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) spectra were taken from native and coagulated tissues. It was observed that as thecoagulation temperature was increased, the slope of the elastic scattering spectradecreased. This showed that the slopes of ESS spectra taken with CancerScanner system inthe visible range give valuable information about alterations of tissue optical properties.Secondly, the system was tested on human tissues in situ. The diagnostic efficiency ofCancerScanner system was 86.6% for lung tissues and paratracheal lymph nodes, and 80% for brain tissues in differentiating cancerous and normal tissues. The system could not differentiate fat from tumor therefore; it was not successful on detecting breast tumors.|Keywords: Elastic scattering spectroscopy, optic cancer diagnosis.