Development of a practical spatial-spectral analysis protocol for breast histopathology using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic imaging

Abstract

Breast cancer screening provides sensitive tumor identification, but low specificity implies that a vast majority of biopsies are not ultimately diagnosed as cancer. Automated techniques to evaluate biopsies can prevent errors, reduce pathologist workload and provide objective analysis. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging provides both molecular signatures and spatial information that may be applicable for pathology. Here, we utilize both the spectral and spatial information to develop a combined classifier that provides rapid tissue assessment. First, we evaluated the potential of IR imaging to provide a diagnosis using spectral data alone. While highly accurate histologic [epithelium, stroma] recognition could be achieved, the same was not possible for disease [cancer, no-cancer] due to the diversity of spectral signals. Hence, we employed spatial data, developing and evaluating increasingly complex models, to detect cancers. Sub-mm tumors could be very confidently predicted as indicated by the quantitative measurement of accuracy via receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses. The developed protocol was validated with a small set and statistical performance used to develop a model that predicts study design for a large scale, definitive validation. The results of evaluation on different instruments, at higher noise levels, under a coarser spectral resolution and two sampling modes [transmission and transflection], indicate that the protocol is highly accurate under a variety of conditions. The study paves the way to validating IR imaging for rapid breast tumor detection, its statistical validation and potential directions for optimization of the speed and sampling for clinical deployment.

Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman and Hyperspectral Imaging Techniques for Quality Determinations of Powdery Foods: A Review

“…Moreover, FT‐IR and Raman spectroscopies have also been used in HSI configurations by combining corresponding vibrational spectroscopic method and digital imaging into one system (Ravikanth and others ). FT‐IR spectral imaging can acquire detailed images that reflect biological, physical or chemical information about a detected material, which is on base of the principle that molecules of different positions of a specimen will quantitatively absorb the IR light of different regions (Pounder and others ). FT‐IR HSI systems are most frequently used in MIR microscopic imaging.…”

Emerging Themes in Image Informatics and Molecular Analysis for Digital Pathology

“…Investigators are now focusing on patient issues and outcomes (126). Notably, recent studies show that it is possible to classify tissue into carcinoma and benign at human-competitive accuracy (127), relate the cancer detected to the most probable grade (128), and to prognosticate (129). …”

Mid‐infrared spectral microimaging of inflammatory skin lesions

“…The development of new biophysical methods for automatic analysis is in progress to promote more objective and potentially quantitative analysis techniques. In this respect, the interest of IR microspectroscopy for characterizing cancerous and in particular cancerous cutaneous tissue has already been demonstrated. However, to our knowledge, inflammatory skin diseases have never been investigated using IR vibrational analysis.…”