We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Breast Cancer Diagnosis Uses Spatial Light Interference Microscopy

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 16 Sep 2015
Print article
Image: A comparison of stained bright-field microscopy (top row) and SLIM (bottom row) images in their respective abilities to show malignant and benign. The images were obtained from adjacent sections. Color bars are in radians (Photo courtesy of Hassaan Majeed).
Image: A comparison of stained bright-field microscopy (top row) and SLIM (bottom row) images in their respective abilities to show malignant and benign. The images were obtained from adjacent sections. Color bars are in radians (Photo courtesy of Hassaan Majeed).
The standard practice in histopathology of breast cancers is to examine a hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained tissue biopsy under a microscope to diagnose whether a lesion is benign or malignant.

A new optical method called Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM) has been used to quickly and accurately determine whether breast tissue lesions are cancerous, as this quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis method is highly advantageous.

Scientists at the University of Illinois (Urbana, IL, USA) used the breast tissue biopsies of 400 different patients, and selected two parallel, adjacent sections from each biopsy. One was stained and the other left unstained. The unstained samples were analyzed using a SLIM module attached to a commercial phase contrast microscope to generate interferograms, which are photographic images derived from data based on how the tissue refracts light.

Four interferograms were used to produce one quantitative image showing areas with different refractive properties in different colors. The boundary between tumors and the cells around them were clearly delineated, making it possible to assess whether the tumors were malignant or benign. As a first step toward quantitative diagnosis based on SLIM, the team carried out a qualitative evaluation of our label-free images. These images were shown to two pathologists who classified each case as either benign or malignant. This diagnosis was then compared against the diagnosis of the two pathologists on corresponding H&E stained tissue images and the number of agreements were counted.

The agreement between SLIM and H&E based diagnosis was 88% for the first pathologist and 87% for the second. The results demonstrate the potential and promise of SLIM for quantitative, label-free, and high-throughput diagnosis. YongKeun Park, PhD, a professor at Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Daejeon, Republic of Korea) and a guest editor of the of the special section on Quantitative Phase Imaging in Biomedicine in which the study appears said, “Conventional methods for diagnosis of breast cancer have several limitations, including observer discrepancy.” The study was published on August 20, 2015, in the Journal of Biomedical Optics.

Related Links:

University of Illinois 
Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology


Gold Member
Fully Automated Cell Density/Viability Analyzer
BioProfile FAST CDV
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
Silver Member
Verification Panels for Assay Development & QC
Seroconversion Panels
New
TORCH Infections Test
TORCH Panel

Print article

Channels

Molecular Diagnostics

view channel
Image: Researcher Kanta Horie places a sample in a mass spectrometer that measures protein levels in blood plasma and other fluids (Photo courtesy of WashU Medicine)

Highly Accurate Blood Test Diagnoses Alzheimer’s and Measures Dementia Progression

Several blood tests are currently available to assist doctors in diagnosing Alzheimer's disease in individuals experiencing cognitive symptoms. However, these tests do not provide insights into the clinical... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The findings were based on patients from the ADAURA clinical trial of the targeted therapy osimertinib for patients with NSCLC with EGFR-activated mutations (Photo courtesy of YSM Multimedia Team)

Post-Treatment Blood Test Could Inform Future Cancer Therapy Decisions

In the ongoing advancement of personalized medicine, a new study has provided evidence supporting the use of a tool that detects cancer-derived molecules in the blood of lung cancer patients years after... Read more

Microbiology

view channel
Image: Schematic representation illustrating the key findings of the study (Photo courtesy of UNIST)

Breakthrough Diagnostic Technology Identifies Bacterial Infections with Almost 100% Accuracy within Three Hours

Rapid and precise identification of pathogenic microbes in patient samples is essential for the effective treatment of acute infectious diseases, such as sepsis. The fluorescence in situ hybridization... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.