A Quantitative Optical Sensor to Monitor Tumor Vascular Physiology

描述（由申请人提供）：2008年，美国有47，560例头颈癌（HNC）新发病例。新的和局部复发的癌症的早期检测在临床上不仅对降低癌症相关的死亡率，而且对降低治疗相关的发病率是重要的，因为它影响多个器官功能，包括呼吸、嗅觉、听力、进食、 吞咽，说话。癌与非恶性组织的区别取决于病变活检的病理学检查。虽然这些病变是在最初的临床检查中发现的，但获得用于分析的标本可能在技术上具有挑战性，并且对患者来说不舒服。此外，有大量的劳动力、设施和金钱资源花费在最终没有恶性肿瘤的患者身上。一旦癌症被确定，晚期HNC的治疗通常需要手术，放疗和化疗的组合，以最大限度地提高治愈的机会。多模态治疗会引起不良副作用，影响患者的身体健康，例如进食和说话以及生活质量。使用更少的方式可以最大限度地减少发病率，但可能 增加治疗失败的风险。确定最佳策略以最大限度地降低发病率并优化治愈机会是一项重大的临床挑战。存在与头颈癌的筛查和治疗相关的显著未满足的临床需求。我们的长期目标是开发一种便携式光学技术，该技术可以在白色光和自体荧光成像的指导下，对局部组织部位的组织吸收和散射进行准确和精确的分析。最初的市场将是与头颈部癌症的诊断和指导治疗相关的应用。该工具的临床价值将要求其快速且非侵入性，使得可以在患者就诊期间获得反馈，便携式，使得其可以在流动环境中使用，并且具有最小的操作者偏差的定量，使得获得的数据在操作者和患者之间是一致的。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In 2008, there were 47,560 new cases of head and neck cancers (HNC) in the United States. Early detection of new and locally recurrent cancers is clinically important to reduce not only cancer related mortality, but also treatment associated morbidity as it impacts multiple organ functions including respiration, olfaction, hearing, eating, swallowing, and speaking. Discrimination of cancer from non-malignant tissues is dependent on pathological examination of lesion biopsies. Although these lesions are identified during an initial clinical exam, obtaining a specimen for analysis can be technically challenging and uncomfortable for patients. Furthermore, there is an immense amount of labor, facility, and monetary resources that are expended on patients who ultimately have no malignancy. Once carcinoma is identified, treatment for advanced HNC commonly requires a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy to maximize the chance for cure. Multi-modality treatment causes undesirable side effects that affect a patient's physical well-being, e.g. eating and speaking, and quality of life. Using fewer modalities can minimize morbidity but with a potentially increased risk for treatment failure. Determination of the optimal strategy to both minimize morbidity and optimize the chance for cure is a major clinical challenge. There is a significant unmet clinical need associated with the screening and treatment of head and neck cancers. Our long-term goal is to develop a portable, optical technology that can provide accurate and precise analysis of tissue absorption and scattering of local tissue sites guided by white light and auto fluorescence imaging. The initial market will be applications related to the diagnosis and guided therapy of head and neck cancers. The clinical value of this tool would require it to be fast and non- invasive such that feedback could be obtained during the patient's visit, portable such that it can be used in an ambulatory setting and quantitative with minimal operator bias such that data obtained is consistent across operators and patients.