Performance of THz fiber-scanning near-field microscopy to diagnose breast tumors

Abstract

Based on tissues from 20 female patients (mean age: 53 years; rang: 36-72 years), we examine the performance of a room-temperature-operated terahertz (THz) fiber-scanning near-field microscopy to diagnose slices of breast tissues. The specimens were frozen sliced and then measured in a thawed state without dehydration. We performed the imaging at 320 GHz. Our study indicates that images acquired in the THz transmission-illumination mode can all clearly distinguish breast tumor tissues from normal tissues without H&E staining. Due to its capability to perform quantitative analysis and to allow follow-up staining and traditional pathohistological analysis, our study indicates great potential of the THz fiber-scanning near-field microscopy for future automation, which is critical for fast and complete pre-screening on breast tumor pathological examinations and for assisting quick definition of the tumor margins during the surgical procedure such as breast-conserving surgery.

Terahertz pulsed spectroscopy of paraffin-embedded brain glioma

“…The terahertz (THz) spectroscopic technique, which is a novel medical imaging modality, 9 has received a attention for its benign nature (noninvasive and nonionizing) toward humans and its high sensitivity to biomolecules 10,11 and tissues. [12][13][14] In recent decades, the THz spectroscopic technique has been used to identify tumors on skin, [15][16][17] breast, [18][19][20] colon, [21][22][23] liver, 24 and other locations. All of the results show that the THz spectroscopic technique has potential for safely identifying disease in tissue samples.…”

Diode laser based light sources for biomedical applications

“…The latter were presented generating 600 fs pulses [279], leading to a broadband spectrum up to 1.4 THz [280]. Within the biomedical field such pulsed terahertz sources have been used for the in-vitro detection of skin cancer, breast tumors or colon cancer [281][282][283][284][285][286]. The images showed a statistically significant contrast between cancerous and noncancerous tissue, resulting from differences in the water distribution and tissue structure.…”

Terahertz in-line digital holography of human hepatocellular carcinoma tissue

“…Similar to microwave radiation, and in contrast to X-rays, terahertz radiation can penetrate non-conducting materials, such as clothes, without causing ionising radiation damage. These properties make terahertz waves suitable for non-invasive biomedical imaging and cancer diagnosis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 .…”

“…For most cancers, confident diagnosis at an early stage is a challenging task, and several cross-checking tests are typically performed. Diseased or cancerous tissues contain more interstitial water than healthy tissues as a result of oedema or increased vascularity 3 , and the analysis of water content can be performed by measuring the absorption of terahertz radiation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 . However, the absorption contrast is affected not only by the water content but also by the structural changes caused by cancer 4 .…”

“…Continuous-wave (CW) terahertz imaging of cancerous tissues has become more popular due to the ready availability of commercial high-power terahertz laser systems. However, the acquisition time of the CW terahertz fibre-scanning near-field imaging technique is even longer than that of TPI and is approximately 50 min for 10 mm × 10 mm samples 10 11 12 .…”