Detection of early esophageal cancer using polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
Hiu Ki Lai1*, Ping Hsien Chen1,2, Wen Chuan Kuo1
1Institute of Biophotonics, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
2Endoscopy Center for Diagnosis and Treatment, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
* Presenter:Hiu Ki Lai, email:hk.lai@yahoo.com.hk
In this study, a single-mode fiber-based polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography was used as a scanning tool for early detection of esophageal cancer. The depth-resolved structure and birefringence information of mouse and human esophageal specimen are detected. The system provides an axial resolution of 11 μm and a lateral resolution of 7 μm in air. We used histology for structural and thickness verification, and the results were consistent. We also found that the birefringence characteristics disappeared in the cancerous area. In human specimens, the border of tumor in PS image is similar and more enhanced to the narrow-band image. PS-OCT is new and useful tool to detect early-stage esophageal cancerous lesions in this pilot animal and human study. Further in-vivo will be demanded to validate these results.


Keywords: polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography, esophagus cancer, phase standard deviation