Science Current Events | Science News | Brightsurf.com
 
Email a Friend Send to a friend
Printer Friendly Print Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate

Researcher: 'Optical biopsy' for breast cancer increasingly accurate

November 06, 2009

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Most biopsies following mammograms reveal benign abnormalities, not cancer.

But women may not have to endure the medical costs, stress and potential complications that accompany such invasive biopsies forever. A University of Florida biomedical engineering researcher is making progress on an "optical biopsy" that has the potential to determine whether growths are cancerous without ever puncturing the skin.




"At this stage, it is just too early for optical tomography to be a screening tool," said Huabei Jiang, the J. Crayton Pruitt Family professor of biomedical engineering, who has spent more than a decade developing the technique at UF and Clemson University. "But you can pretty much say that it is highly likely it can become a diagnostic tool, an adjunct to X-ray mammography."

Surgical biopsies have long been the gold standard for determining whether growths are cancerous. But at least three out of four biopsies following mammograms conclude that observed abnormalities are benign and that no intervention was needed, Jiang said. Depending on if the biopsies are performed with needles or surgery, that can mean added cost, recuperation and potential scarring or other complications - all ultimately unnecessary.

Jiang has devoted much of his career to an alternative: "phase-contrast diffuse optical tomography," a screening technology that roots out breast cancer not with cutting tools and laboratory tests but with light and computing power.

He recently completed the third generation of his apparatus - a bed with an array of fiber optic laser lights and detectors mounted within a hole where the patient places her breast.

Light from the harmless lasers enters the breast and scatters. Most gets absorbed in the tissue, but some reaches the detectors. With enough light hitting the detectors from enough different directions, there is sufficient data for Jiang's computer algorithms to create an image of the breast's interior. This image suggests either benign conditions or some of the telltale signs of cancer that are completely invisible to standard X-ray mammograms - for example, a high density of blood vessels snaking around a likely tumor.

But the image is just one indicator. In Jiang's newest apparatus, undergoing tests at the Tampa-based Moffitt Cancer Center, fiber optic lights span 10 different wavelengths, or colors. Light with these colors changes in predictable ways when they strike certain compounds, such as oxygenated hemoglobin, water or lipids. Just as light collected from distant planets can reveal the composition of their atmospheres to astronomers, so light collected from these collisions can indicate chemical evidence of cancer.

A third technique, known as index refraction or phase contrast, provides information on cellular size and density - both factors that play into determination of cancer in laboratory biopsies.

"What he's done is introduce a whole new optical property that is pretty clever," said Steve Ponder, of the phase contrast element of Jiang's research. "It's another tool, and he's reported good success, and it did increase sensitivity."

Ponder is director of advanced development for the Fort Lauderdale-based Imaging Diagnostic Systems Inc., which makes breast imaging devices that rely on similar technologies to those Jiang is developing.

Over the past 10 years, Jiang and his graduate students have tested their evolving device on a total of about 200 patients, he said. In a 2008 paper in Academic Radiology, his most recently published clinical paper, he obtained 35 images from 33 patients and compared his findings with the results of the women's traditional biopsies.

His main conclusion: His technique correctly identified biopsy confirmed malignancies nearly 75 percent of the time, with the most accurate results from older patients, whose softer breasts make abnormalities more prominent. Jiang said he has since boosted the accuracy rate to 91 percent in a study involving 144 women, but he is still readying that study for publication. More research and more patients are needed, he said.

"It's still not enough for us to say, 'O.K.'," he said. "But we have some confidence."

University of Florida



Related Biopsies Current Events and Biopsies News Articles Biopsies Current Events and Biopsies News RSS Biopsies Current Events and Biopsies News RSS
Engineer designs micro-endoscope to seek out early signs of cancer
Traditional endoscopes provide a peek inside patients' bodies. Now, a University of Florida engineering researcher is designing ones capable of a full inspection.

Barrow study identifies new way to biopsy brain tumors in real time
A new miniature, hand-held microscope may allow more precise removal of brain tumors and an easier recognition of tumor locations during surgery.

Scientists uncover new key to the puzzle of hormone therapy and breast cancer
The use of postmenopausal hormone therapy has decreased over time in the United States, which researchers suggest may play a key role in the declining rate of atypical ductal hyperplasia, a known risk factor for breast cancer.

Green tea shows promise as chemoprevention agent for oral cancer, M. D. Anderson study finds
Green tea extract has shown promise as cancer prevention agent for oral cancer in patients with a pre-malignant condition known as oral leukoplakia, according to researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

PMH finding may help some tonsil cancer patients avoid chemotherapy
Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) have confirmed that patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer ("tonsil cancer") harbour a common type of human papilloma virus (HPV16), but also that such cancers are very sensitive to radiation.

Geneticists Hunt for Scleroderma Triggers
At its most benign, the autoimmune disease scleroderma can discolor parts of the skin of its sufferers. At its most pernicious, it can thicken and harden their skin, their blood vessels, and their internal organs before, in many cases, killing them.

Moderate amounts of protein per meal found best for building muscle
For thousands of years, people have believed that eating large amounts of protein made it easier to build bigger, stronger muscles. Take Milo of Croton, the winner of five consecutive Olympic wrestling championships in the sixth century BC: If ancient writers are to be believed, he built his crushing strength in part by consuming 20 pounds of meat every day.

PMH clinicians map group at high risk for aggressive, 'hidden' prostate cancer
Clinical researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) can now answer the question that baffles many clinicians - why do some men with elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels who are carefully monitored and undergo repeated negative biopsies still develop aggressive prostate cancer?

Surgeons' unanimous consensus: Needle biopsy is gold standard for breast cancer diagnosis
A special report published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons indicates that an alarming 35% of initial diagnostic breast biopsies in the United States are still being done using unnecessary open surgical techniques.

New drug aims to 'seek and destroy' many types of cancer
A new drug designed to "seek and destroy" common cancers such as breast, prostate, endometrial, pancreatic, ovarian, skin and testicular cancers is being tested at TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare.
More Biopsies Current Events and Biopsies News Articles
Biopsy Interpretation: The Frozen Section (Biopsy Interpretation Series)

Biopsy Interpretation: The Frozen Section (Biopsy Interpretation Series)
by Jerome B Taxy (Author), Aliya N Husain (Author), Anthony G Montag (Author)

A frozen section is regarded as the most definitive intraoperative examination, and its proper performance and interpretation is essential to determine the course of a given surgical procedure. Put simply, a frozen section involves a freezing apparatus to harden tissue, a microtome to shave off thin slices, an H&E staining set-up, and a microscope, and it requires an expert pathologist to interpret and communicate the results. This new volume of the Biopsy Interpretation Series is a practical, superbly illustrated guide to the technical and interpretive aspects of a frozen section. The book gives pathologists a thorough knowledge of the utility and limitations of a frozen section, the appropriate circumstances for doing one, the proper techniques, and the interpretation and reporting of...

Biopsy Interpretation of the Breast (Biopsy Interpretation Series)

Biopsy Interpretation of the Breast (Biopsy Interpretation Series)
by Stuart J Schnitt (Author), Laura C Collins (Author)

A practical guide for the diagnostic surgical pathologist, this book presents the diverse spectrum of pathologic alterations that occur in the breast in a manner analogous to the way they are encountered in daily practice. Lesions are grouped according to their histologic patterns to simulate the way pathologists face these lesions as they examine microscopic slides. The approach is based on pattern recognition and emphasizes differential diagnosis. The book contains over 500 full-color photomicrographs and 50 tables summarizing key clinical and pathologic features and differential diagnostic issues. A companion Website will offer 900 full-color images, plus the fully searchable text and a test bank that is ideal for board preparation.

Miltex Sterile Disposable Biopsy Punches, 8 mm, Box of 50

Miltex Sterile Disposable Biopsy Punches, 8 mm, Box of 50
by Miltex

Features of the Miltex Sterile Disposable Biopsy Punches: 8 mm. Made by Kai. Each Sterile Biopsy Punch is sealed in a peel-apart see-through package. 50 Punches to a Dispenser Box. Sterilized by EO. The product referenced on this detail page is sold be 50/Bx.

Third Stroke

Third Stroke
Biopsy (Performer)

THE THIRD AND MOST ELECTRO ALBUM OF THIS DUO (FABRICIO VISCARDI + GUILHERME PIRES), MEMBERS OF AGHAST VIEW IS OUT NOW WITH 14 TRAXX TO PUNCH AND TERMINATE. A HARSH BLEND OF EBM WITH NOISE AND BEATS THAT WILL PLEASE THE RIVET HEADS TO THEIR CORE.

  Video Biopsy
Starring: Tourniquet



Diagnosis of Endometrial Biopsies and Curettings: A Practical Approach

Diagnosis of Endometrial Biopsies and Curettings: A Practical Approach
by Michael Mazur (Author), Robert J. Kurman (Author)

DIAGNOSIS OF ENDOMETRIAL BIOPSIES, Second Edition, revised and now with color illustrations, continues the tradition as being the most concise and complete diagnostic guide to the endometrial biopsy. A review from MODERN PATHOLOGY praises it as being "extremely useful for the practicing pathologist because it outlines criteria for diagnosis, helps in solving diagnostic diagnostic dilemmas, and clarifies controversial issues."

The text is structured to present a logical approach to formulating a pathologic diagnosis from the diverse array of tissue received in the surgical pathology laboratory. Color illustrations show typical artifacts and distortion and explain their impact on diagnostic interpretation. Each chapter includes a section on "Clinical Queries and Reporting" that...

Medline Biopsy Curettes, Kevorkian - with Basket, 12", 30 cm, 40 mm - Model MDS7059640

Medline Biopsy Curettes, Kevorkian - with Basket, 12", 30 cm, 40 mm - Model MDS7059640
by Medline



Biopsy Interpretation of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract and Ear Hardbound

Biopsy Interpretation of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract and Ear Hardbound
by lww

This new volume of the Biopsy Interpretation Series is a practical, superbly illustrated guide to interpreting biopsies of the upper aerodigestive tract and ear. The book describes and illustrates the distinguishing features of the wide array of neoplasms and non-neoplastic entities arising in the varied tissues of the head and neck region. The authors address the biopsy interpretation problems confronting pathologists in daily practice. The book contains 400 full-color illustrations.

I've been to Biopsy City Fantasy Photographic Poster Print by Corrine Ellsworth, 16x20

I've been to Biopsy City Fantasy Photographic Poster Print by Corrine Ellsworth, 16x20
by Art.com

Art.com is the world's largest retailer of art prints, posters, photographs, and framed artwork. With our huge selection of over 400,000 prints, you'll easily find the perfect piece for your home, office, or classroom. Our art is printed on quality paper. When you order framed artwork, the piece is built by our team of in-house professionals. Visit our Amazon store today at www.amazon.com/artdotcom to find Special Offers and search for products based on 'Artist Name' and 'Subject Categories' such as Movie, Music, Vintage, TV, Children, Travel, Kitchen, Museum Art, Animals, Floral, Motivational, and Sports. Art.com is dedicated to providing you with high quality products and service by offering you 100% satisfaction guaranteed. We ship internationally to over 80 countries. Decorate your...

Third Stroke

Third Stroke
Biopsy (Primary Contributor)



© 2009 BrightSurf.com