Characteristic autofluorescence for cancer diagnosis and its origin

Abstract

The autofluorescence spectra of human tissues excited with the 365-nm line of pulsed xenon ion laser have been measured. The autofluorescence spectra of cancer tissues usually show characteristic peaks near 630 nm and 690 nm, which do not appear in the spectra of the corresponding normal tissues. This characteristic fluorescence can be taken as a criterion for cancer diagnosis; a consistency of 89% with the traditional biopsy method has been obtained in preliminary clinical application to the diagnosis of buccal carcinoma. Spectroscopic investigations suggest that the porphyrin compounds localized and retained in cancer tissues might be responsible for this characteristic autofluorescence.

Laser-induced fluorescence in medical diagnostics

“…3 where the signal at 630 nm probably originates from endogenous porphyrins retained in the malignant tumor area. The same observation has been made by Chinese researchers in human malignancies located in the oral cavity, in the stomach and in the gynecological sphere [30][31][32][33]. Some of the tumors investigated by the Chinese researchers were very thin lesions impossible to identify by standard examination methods but detected with UV-excited autofluorescence utilizing quite simple equipment.…”

Diode laser based light sources for biomedical applications

“…The UV-blue spectral range is suited for biomedical applications, such as soft tissue surgery, cytometry, cell transfection or fluorescence measurements [190][191][192][193]. A 318 mW, 404 nm frequency doubled diode laser was shown suitable for drug quantification measurements in a mouse model as part of photodynamic therapy [194,195].…”

Further Observations on Visual Perception: The Influence of Pathologies Upon the Absorption of Light and Emission of Bioluminescence

“…Biophoton emission may be linked to current DM indicators such as HbA1c [97,98]; and the detection of other medical conditions [89] including gastrointestinal disease(s) [99][100][101], cancers [102][103][104][105][106][107], conditions of unknown origin [108,109], and as an early marker of retinal deterioration [110,111]. Albumin is naturally bioluminescent.…”