Abstract

Confocal opto-acoustic transducer (COAT) was developed and applied for detection of early stages of squamous cell carcinoma in hamster model of oral cancer. COAT is a novel imaging modality capable of detecting profiles of wide-band ultrasonic transients at the site of pulsed laser irradiation. Animal model of oral cancer used Syrian golden hamsters treated with carcinogenic agent, DMBA (9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-Benzanthracene). Opto-acoustic tomography was applied to visualize the course of cancer development from normal to displasia, to carcinoma in situ, to invasive carcinoma. Correlation of the opto-acoustic images with H&E histology sections confirmed that early cancer lesions, invisible by gross observation, could be detected with the opto-acoustic tomography. Our hypothesis is that pronounced contrast revealed by the opto-acoustic tomography between normal and malignant tissues is associated with increased sizes and concentration of cellular nuclei at the stage of microscopic displasia and with tumor angiogenesis at the later stages. Characteristic feature of carcinoma progression as demonstrated by COAT is the gradual loss of layered structure in mucous and developing heterogeneity.

© 2000 Optical Society of America