We hypothesize that there may be cancer-sensitive image biomarkers present in a novel image processing technique. We leverage the multipath artifacts derived from higher order modes that present in double clad fiber-based OCT systems, which are sensitive to scattering angle and as such may be sensitive to sub-resolution features such as nuclear density and size. This work explores multipath contrast in previously collected clinical imaging data; preliminary work has found that this technique can distinguish cancerous and non-cancerous fallopian tube specimens.
The most prevalent ovarian cancers, high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSCs), begin as lesions in the fallopian tubes. There is a need for tools that examine the fallopian tubes for early-stage ovarian cancers. We hypothesize an endoscopic imaging approach combining structural and functional imaging techniques (optical coherence tomography (OCT) and autofluorescence imaging (AFI) respectively) will be able to visualize cancerous or pre-cancerous changes in the fallopian tubes for early ovarian cancer detection. We present findings from an on-going ex vivo imaging study of fallopian tubes including sample cases demonstrating various cancers and preliminary features of interest.
Ovarian cancer is one of the most lethal gynecological conditions in the developed world. Current screening methods have only made marginal differences in overall survival over the past 30 years. The deficit of early-stage detection methods is a critical factor in the mortality associated with this disease. Recent evidence has shown that the fallopian tubes are a critical site in carcinogenesis of ovarian cancers. We present the first endoscopic co-registered OCT-AFI imaging of ex vivo fallopian tubes. This work aims to evaluate the potential of OCT-AFI to identify pre-cancerous lesions in the fallopian tubes. The BC Cancer Research Centre’s Optical Imaging Lab has developed a multimodal imaging system and catheter which enables both optical coherence tomography (OCT) and autofluorescence imaging (AFI). The imaging probe consists of a dual-clad fiber optical core inside a 0.9mm diameter sterile sheath. This system allows for resolutions of 20-30μm and imaging depths of up to 1.5mm. Samples are collected from patients consented through the OVCARE Gynecological Cancer Tissue Bank banking protocol. Volumetric OCT-AFI images are acquired for the entire catheterizable length of the sample at pullback speeds of 1mm/s. After imaging, histology is conducted according to the “sectioning and extensively examining the fimbriated end” protocol to serve as a gold standard. We present methods for obtaining scans of the ex vivo fallopian tubes, sample cases correlated with histology, and our preliminary results. As of January 2020, we have imaged 21 patients and 27 fallopian tubes including 6 cancerous specimens.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.