Kaiguo Yan PhD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Yan Yu PhD, MBA, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Elizabeth Tinney RRA, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Lydia Liao MD, PhD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a non-invasive multimodal spectroscopy system in breast cancer diagnosis.

This multimodal spectroscopy system combines three modules: diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), ultrasonography and low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU). It reports the optical functional difference in breast cancer and benign lesion after transient LIFU stimulation of the vascular network. An IRB-approved clinical study is being carried out. Currently 7 patients with histologically-proven cancers and 14 with benign lesions were enrolled with informed consent. The ratio of optical intensities at wavelengths 685nm and 830nm (I685/I830) was decomposed into low-frequency and high-frequency components using wavelet technique.

Clinical study results showed that LIFU stimulated transitory high-frequency fluctuation in benign lesion, but not in breast cancer. The ratios of mean absolute deviation (MAD) during LIFU vs. baseline in cancer and benign lesion are [mean(max/min/std)] 1.8930 (2.3903/1.4123/0.3140) and 3.0369 (4.2895/2.1851/0.6583), respectively. This suggests that the high-frequency fluctuation was amplified in benign lesion during LIFU stimulation. Statistical analysis also reveals that the ratios of MAD induced by LIFU are significantly different in cancer vs. benign lesion (p=0.0004).  

Current clinical results demonstrate the potential of the multimodal system in characterizing breast cancer vs. benign lesion. LIFU appears to exert more pronounced influence on blood flow in benign lesion than in breast cancer. This lack of response to LIFU in breast cancer is possibly due to its abnormal blood vasculature. The clinical study is ongoing to further assessing correlating factors, such as histological tissue types, hormone status (age), breast density, and to define the sensitivity and specificity of this promising technique. Combining this system with breast ultrasound has the potential to increase the specificity of sonographic breast cancer detection, and to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures.

This non-invasive multimodal spectroscopy system has the potential to increase the specificity of sonographic breast cancer detection, and to reduce unnecessary invasive procedures.

Yan, K, Yu, Y, Tinney, E, Liao, L, Use of a Noninvasive Multimodal Sono-contrast Spectroscopy System to Detect Breast Cancers: Clinical Study Results.  Radiological Society of North America 2011 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 26 - December 2, 2011 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2011/11006210.html