COMBINED OPTICAL/FLUORESCENCE IMAGING OF BREAST CANCER

X光乳房摄影术是目前用于乳腺癌的临床工具。 侦测。然而，乳房X光检查是电离辐射，具有 放射性乳房患者不可接受的假阴性率 纸巾。这些患者代表了 绝经前妇女以及患有纤维囊性组织病的妇女。 然而，年轻女性的癌症往往更致命，生长更快。 因此，迫切需要寻找能够 克服与x射线乳房X光检查相关的问题，这可以 成为传统X光检查的优秀辅助工具或竞争工具 乳房X光检查。非电离、非侵入性近红外光学成像 有巨大的潜力成为如此有前途的乳房替代品 癌症检测。在这方面，我们最近的研究表明， 嵌入在厚厚混浊介质中的毫米大小的物体可以成像 使用频域光学测量。这表明 该技术在乳腺癌临床应用的可能性 侦测。然而，光学成像的基本原理仅基于 吸收和/或散射特性的内生差异 在正常组织和病变组织之间。另一方面， 对人体组织的荧光光谱/成像研究表明 各种皮损显示出明显的荧光光谱 正常组织的那些。已有证据表明，荧光 内源化合物的光谱可以提供增强的对比度，因为 以及诊断信息。也有研究表明，外源的 染料在肿瘤病变中表现出选择性摄取，并可能提供 光学成像的最佳对比度。使用外源制剂将 提供可用于检测嵌入性肿瘤的荧光标记 在胸口。特别是，监控荧光的能力 产量和寿命也可以实现生化特异性，如果 荧光团对一种特定的代谢物，如氧， 因此，拟议的研究旨在结合 内源性光学成像和外源性光学成像的最佳方面 荧光寿命和产额成像。这可能会提供最好的 光学技术诊断的敏感性和特异性。我们的 该项目的具体目标包括：(1)继续发展我们的 生成图像所需的计算机算法，(2)构造和 一种光学和荧光联合成像系统的测试 强度调制光和类似层析的激发和数据 收集；(3)利用组织对该体系进行评价和优化 幻影实验。

X-ray mammography is the clinical tool currently used for breast cancer detection. However, mammography is ionizing radiation and has an unacceptable false negative rate for patients with radiodense breast tissues. These patients represent the general population Of premenopausal women as well as those with fibrocystic tissue disease. Yet, cancer in younger women tends to be more virulent and grow faster. Consequently, there is a critical need to seek alternatives that could overcome the problems associated with x-ray mammography and that could become an excellent adjunct or competitive tool to conventional x-ray mammography. Non-ionizing, noninvasive near-infrared optical imaging has great potential to become such a promising alternative for breast cancer detection. In this regard, our recent studies have shown that millimeter size objects embedded in thick turbid media can be imaged using frequency-domain optical measurements. This indicates the possibility of clinical application of this technique in breast cancer detection. However, the rationale of optical imaging is based on only endogenous differences in the absorption and/or scattering properties between the normal and diseased tissues. On the other hand, fluorescence spectroscopy/imaging studies of human tissue suggest that a variety of lesions show distinct fluorescence spectra compared to those of normal tissue. It has been evidenced that fluorescence spectroscopy of endogenous compounds can provide enhanced contrast as well as diagnostic information. It has also been shown that exogenous dyes exhibit selective uptake in neoplastic lesions and may offer the best contrast for optical imaging. Use of exogenous agents would provide fluorescent markers which could serve to detect embedded tumors in the breast. In particular, the ability to monitor the fluorescent yield and lifetime may also enable biochemical specificity if the fluorophore is sensitive to a specific metabolite, such as oxygen, glucose, etc. Consequently, the proposed research is aimed at combining the best aspects of both endogenous optical imaging and exogenous fluorescent lifetime and yield imaging. This may provide the best sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis with optical techniques. Our specific aims in this project include (1) continued development of our computer algorithms needed for generating images, (2) construction and test of a combined optical and fluorescence imaging system using intensity modulated light and tomographic-like excitation and data collection, (3) evaluation and optimization of this system using tissue phantom experiments.