Near-Infrared Optical Mammography for Breast Cancer Detection with Intrinsic Contrast

Abstract

Optical methods to detect breast cancer on the basis of its increased opacity have been explored for some time. These methods have matured to a point in which they are capable of quantifying the optical properties of breast tissue and translating them into measures of concentrations of relevant tissue components. In particular, near-infrared spectroscopy has been employed to determine the concentrations of hemoglobin, water, and lipids, as well as oxygen saturation of hemoglobin and optical scattering properties in normal and cancerous breast tissue. Dynamic optical measurements can also identify abnormal hemodynamic patterns associated with breast cancer. We review, in this article, a number of results in the field, which show that cancerous tissue is associated with higher hemoglobin and water concentrations, and a lower lipid concentration with respect to normal breast tissue. Indications that breast cancers are characterized by lower hemoglobin saturation and stronger scattering decay as a function of wavelength are less robust, with variable results reported in the literature. Intrinsic sources of optical contrast associated with breast cancer can also be used to monitor individual response to neoadjuvant therapy.

Hemodynamic signature of breast cancer under fractional mammographic compression using a dynamic diffuse optical tomography system

“…This trend matches well numerous published studies that used optical spectroscopy or tomography to characterize breast lesions [4,5]. Though still statistically significant, the contrast values we report are lower than most of the other studies.…”

“…Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and diffuse optical tomography (DOT) have emerged as promising functional imaging techniques sensitive to cancer-induced pathological changes in tissue related to angiogenesis and flow/metabolism imbalances. Encouraging results have been reported for both cancer diagnosis and neoadjuvant chemotherapy monitoring [4][5][6][7].…”

Multiparametric Monitoring of Chemotherapy Treatment Response in Locally Advanced Breast Cancer Using Quantitative Ultrasound and Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy

“…The TOI accounts for the ratio between %Water, lipid content and deoxyhemoglobin and reflects the optical properties of breast tumors in reference to its pathological state [35]. In the work here, the TOI demonstrated significant differences (p = 0.000) between responders and non-responders after four weeks of chemotherapy (8.1 ± 1.9%, and 36.5 ± 6.5%, respectively from the baseline values).…”

“…In the work here, the TOI demonstrated significant differences (p = 0.000) between responders and non-responders after four weeks of chemotherapy (8.1 ± 1.9%, and 36.5 ± 6.5%, respectively from the baseline values). The TOI also differed significantly (p < 0.001) at the conclusion of chemotherapy and this [35,44]. Cerussi et al previously suggested that this reduction in water fraction in responsive tumors might represent variations in tumor cell density, and cellularity within the tumor bed [22], and this was supported by clinically reported histological data that demonstrated cellular changes in the tumor after NAC.…”

“…It is important to note that breast tissue demonstrates significantly higher scattering than absorption, and this is due to the tissue's composition, and cellular structure. Other DOSI parameters such as the scatter power and scatter amplitude, calculated by using the power-law function, are representative of the tissue's substructure, which is related to cellularity, cell arrangement and light-scatterer spatial distributions [35]. As a result, DOSI can demonstrate a good sensitivity to the biochemical characteristics of tissue.…”