A dynamic near infrared imaging schema may prove useful in the characterization of suspicious breast lesions identified on diagnostic breast ultrasound, according to researchers. A dynamic near infrared imaging schema may prove useful in the characterization of suspicious breast lesions identified on diagnostic breast ultrasound, according to researchers.

In the December 18th issue of Breast Cancer Research, Dr. Stephen P. Povoski and Dr. Ronald X. Xu of Ohio State University, Columbus and colleagues describe their pilot study of the approach in 48 patients.

The researchers employed a pre-commercial prototype of a handheld near infrared tissue imaging device (P-Scan, ViOptix Inc.) to investigate 50 breast lesions in these patients. "An external mechanical compression force was applied to breast tissue," the team explains. "The tissue oxygen saturation and hemoglobin concentration were recorded simultaneously by the handheld near infrared imaging device."

For a variety of technical reasons, the team derived tissue parameters and performed biostatistics analyses on 36 lesions only. Of these, 22 showed benign histopathology and 14 showed malignant histopathology.

"All suspicious breast lesions," Dr. Povoski told Reuters Health, "generally had lower oxygenation and higher hemoglobin concentration than the surrounding normal breast tissue."

"Furthermore," he added, "histopathologic-proven malignant breast tumors had a lower differential hemoglobin contrast ... as compared to histopathologic-proven benign breast lesions."

The detectable physiologic differences that have been demonstrated hold potential clinical relevance, Dr. Povoski pointed out.

"Although, at this time," he concluded, "we feel that this dynamic near infrared imaging schema should only be investigated and utilized within a clinical trial setting, we also feel that such a schema -- once further studied and refined -- may become a useful adjunct to the current armamentarium of breast imaging of mammography, ultrasound, and MRI."