Ex Vivo Terahertz Imaging Reflection of Malignant and Benign Human Breast Tumors

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of spectroscopy and imaging tools, using a previously-unexplored (0.2- 1.4) terahertz range, for investigating tumors in human tissue and distinguishing between malignant and benign cancer cells. One advantage of this technique is that terahertz radiation in this frequency range passes through human tissue without causing ionization or any negative effects To assess the effectiveness of this band of frequencies, THz data were collected from 10 different fresh breast tissue samples, extracted directly after excision. The optical properties were investigated at a range of low frequencies and THz imaging revealed good contrast between the different types of fresh tissue. Observations indicated that the optical and electrical properties in the low-frequency (0.3-0.5) range provided accurate information about breast cancer tissue. These results demonstrated the effectiveness of the technique up to 0.5 THz for ex vivo studies in medical applications.

Terahertz Imaging and Sensing for Healthcare: Current Status and Future Perspectives

“…Thus, the small fluctuations in water content of tissues and flow of blood could be differentiated making it an important property for the detection and monitoring of different VOLUME 11, 2023 types of cancerous tumors (tissues with tumor have more water molecule content compared to healthy tissue) [18]. The THz radiation energy level coincides with energy of molecular rotational and vibrational modes as well as intermolecular vibrations like hydrogen bonds which is enable to reveal of hydrogen bond orientation [19]. Another image contrast parameters and cancer biomarkers those have been reported to contribute to THz image contrast include structural changes, cell-density, electrical interactions between agents and biological tissue as well as tissue substances like proteins, fiber and fat etc.…”