Method for determining if tissue is malignant as opposed to non-malignant using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy
First Claim
1. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
- a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 310 nm;
b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom at a wavelength of about 340 nm; and
c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method for determining if tissue is malignant as opposed to non-malignant (i.e., benign tumor tissue, benign tissue, or normal tissue), In one embodiment, the method comprises irradiating a human breast tissue sample with light at a wavelength of about 310 nm and measuring the time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom at about 340 nm. The time-resolved fluorescence profile is then compared to similar profiles obtained from known malignant and non-malignant human breast tissues. By fitting the profiles to the formula I(t)=A1 e(-t/τ1)+A2 e(-t/τ2) one can quantify the differences between tissues of various conditions. For example, non-malignant human breast tissues exhibit a slow component (τ2) which is less than 1.6 ns whereas malignant human breast tissues exhibit a slow component (τ2) which is greater than 1.6 ns. In addition, non-malignant human breast tissues exhibit a ratio of fast to slow amplitudes (A1 /A2) which is greater than 0.85 whereas malignant human breast tissues exhibit a ratio of fast to slow amplitudes (A1 /A2) which is less than 0.6. This technique can be used with different excitation and/or emission wavelengths, and can be applied to the detection of malignancies (or other abnormal states) in tissues other than human breast tissue.
116 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 310 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom at a wavelength of about 340 nm; and c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement. - View Dependent Claims (2)
-
-
3. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignment as opposed to non-malignment comprising:
-
a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 310 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom at a wavelength of about 340 nm; and c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement wherein said determining step comprises fitting a profile of the native time-resolved fluorecence emitted from the human breast tissue sample to a double exponential of the formula ##EQU1## and determining if τ
2 is less than 1.6 ns whereby the human breast tissue sample is non-malignant or greater than 1.6 ns whereby the human breast tissue sample is malignant.
-
-
4. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 310 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom at a wavelength of about 340 nm; and c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement wherein said determining step comprising fitting a profile of the native time-resolved fluorescence emitted from the human breast tissue sample to a double exponential of the formula ##EQU2## and determining if A1 /A2 is greater than 0.85 whereby the human breast tissue sample is non-malignant or less than 0.6 whereby the human breast tissue sample is malignant.
-
-
5. A method for determining if a tissue sample selected from the group consisting of human breast tissue and human ovarian tissue is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the tissue sample with light at a wavelength of about 353 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom over one or more wavelength in a spectral band from about 400 nm to about 500 nm; and c) determining the condition of the tissue sample in accordance with said measurement. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
-
-
11. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 353 nm; b) measuring a native-time resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom over one or more wavelengths in a spectral band from about 400 nm to about 500 nm; and c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement wherein said determining step comprises fitting a profile of the native time-resolved fluorescence emitted from the human breast tissue sample to a double exponential of the formula ##EQU3## and determining if τ
1 is less than about 150 ps whereby the human breast tissue sample is malignant or greater than about 200 ps whereby the human breast tissue sample is non-malignant.
-
-
12. A method for determining if a human breast tissue sample is malignant as opposed to non-malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the human breast tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 353 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescent emitted therefrom over one or more wavelengths in a spectral band from about 400 nm to about 500 nm; and c) determining the condition of the human breast tissue sample in accordance with said measurement wherein said determining step comprises fitting a profile of the native tissue-resolved fluorescence emitted from the human breast tissue sample to a double exponential of the formula ##EQU4## and determining if τ
2 is greater than 2.4 ns whereby the human breast tissue sample is malignant or less than 2.4 ns whereby the human tissue sample is non-malignant.
-
-
13. A method for determining if a tissue sample selected from the group consisting of human breast tissue and human lung tissue is malignant as opposed to normal, said method comprising:
-
a) irradiating the tissue sample with light at a wavelength of about 530 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom over tone or more wavlengths in a spectral band from about 500 nm to about 600 nm; and c) determining the condition of the tissue sample in accordance with said measurement. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15)
-
-
16. A method for determine if a tissue sample selected from the group consisting of malignant tissue and normal tissue is malignant comprising:
-
a) irradiating the tissue sample with a pulse of light at a wavelength of about 530 nm; b) measuring a native time-resolved fluorescence emitted therefrom over one or more wavlengths in a spectral band from about 550 nm to about 600 nm; and c) determining the condition of the tissue sample in accordance with said measurement wherein said determining step comprises fitting a profile of the native time-resolved fluorescence emitted from the tissue sample to a double exponential of the formula ##EQU5## and determining if τ
1 is about 100 ps whereby the tissue sample is malignant or about 200 ps whereby the tissue sample is normal.
-
Specification