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Three-dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography for Optical Biopsy of Lymph Nodes and Assessment of Metastatic Disease

  • Translational Research and Biomarkers
  • Published:
Annals of Surgical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

Numerous techniques have been developed for localizing lymph nodes before surgical resection and for their histological assessment. Nondestructive high-resolution transcapsule optical imaging of lymph nodes offers the potential for in situ assessment of metastatic involvement, potentially during surgical procedures.

Methods

Three-dimensional optical coherence tomography (3-D OCT) was used for imaging and assessing resected popliteal lymph nodes from a preclinical rat metastatic tumor model over a 9-day time-course study after tumor induction. The spectral-domain OCT system utilized a center wavelength of 800 nm, provided axial and transverse resolutions of 3 and 12 μm, respectively, and performed imaging at 10,000 axial scans per second.

Results

OCT is capable of providing high-resolution label-free images of intact lymph node microstructure based on intrinsic optical scattering properties with penetration depths of ~1–2 mm. The results demonstrate that OCT is capable of differentiating normal, reactive, and metastatic lymph nodes based on microstructural changes. The optical scattering and structural changes revealed by OCT from day 3 to day 9 after the injection of tumor cells into the lymphatic system correlate with inflammatory and immunological changes observed in the capsule, precortical regions, follicles, and germination centers found during histopathology.

Conclusions

We report for the first time a longitudinal study of 3-D transcapsule OCT imaging of intact lymph nodes demonstrating microstructural changes during metastatic infiltration. These results demonstrate the potential of OCT as a technique for intraoperative, real-time in situ 3-D optical biopsy of lymph nodes for the intraoperative staging of cancer.

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Acknowledgment

Stephen Boppart is co-founder and chief medical officer of Diagnostic Photonics Inc., which is commercializing Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Microscopy for intraoperative tumor margin assessment. He also receives royalties from patents licensed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology related to OCT. This research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health NIBIB, R01 EB012479, and NIBIB, R01 EB013723 (S.A.B.). The authors thank Darold Spillman for his assistance with project coordination and information technology management, and Freddy T. Nguyen for helpful discussions and technical support during the experimental studies. Additional information can be found at http://biophotonics.illinois.edu.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Renu John PhD, Steven G. Adie PhD, Eric J. Chaney BS, Marina Marjanovic PhD & Stephen A. Boppart MD, PhD

  2. Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Krishnarao V. Tangella MD

  3. Departments of Bioengineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA

    Stephen A. Boppart MD, PhD

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  1. Renu John PhD
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  2. Steven G. Adie PhD
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  3. Eric J. Chaney BS
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  5. Krishnarao V. Tangella MD
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  6. Stephen A. Boppart MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen A. Boppart MD, PhD.

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John, R., Adie, S.G., Chaney, E.J. et al. Three-dimensional Optical Coherence Tomography for Optical Biopsy of Lymph Nodes and Assessment of Metastatic Disease. Ann Surg Oncol 20, 3685–3693 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-012-2434-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1245/s10434-012-2434-z

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