Chi-Kuang Sun
National Taiwan University, Taiwan
Title: In vivo non-invasive multiple harmonic generation biopsy for diagnosing and scoring of collagen alignment at the tumor interface
Biography
Biography: Chi-Kuang Sun
Abstract
Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body and a major component to construct our extracellular matrix. Recent studies indicate that in many types of tumors, collagen fiber alignment at the tumor boundary correlates with poor prognosis in patients. Tumor invasion is now considred as the outcome of a complex interplay between cancer cells and the stromal environment, while some studies suggested that collagen has an extraordinary role in triggering chemical signals that help protect the body from cancer. An in vivo noninvasive imaging system to diagnose and score for collagen alignment at the tumor interface that correlates with prognosis is thus critical. In this talk, we present an in vivo noninvasive imaging system which diagnoses and scores for collagen alignment at the tumor interface in patients. This system is a multi-harmonic genration microscope powered by a Cr:forsterite laser, which maximizes the penetration depth in human skin while minimized all possible photodamages. The second harmonic signals were used to image collagen fibrils while the third harmonic signals were used to image the keratinocytes, for differential pathological diagnosis. Imaging processing algorithms were developed so as to score the collagen structures and alignment at the tumor interface. Studies on 60 patients with/without pigmented tumors, including basal cell carcinoma, will be reported. This first in vivo clinical study not only reveals the interaction between tumor and collagen, but also justifies the effectiveness of this imaging tool to diagnose cancer noninvasively in real time.