Photoacoustics Used to Detect Breast Cancer

The new approach could become an alternative to mammography or ultrasound.

The European science project was coordinated by the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M; Spain), and is one area of research of Optical Imaging and Laser Techniques for Biomedical Applications (OILTEBIA), which held its first “European Summer School” on laser techniques and optical imaging for biomedical applications from September 15-19, 2014, on the Leganés campus of the UC3M.

This emerging field of scientific research has the potential to change the way medicine is viewed within a few years, according to some of the experts gathered at the summer school, where researchers from the OILTEBIA consortium presented their early findings to the rest of the network. “At present, several biomedical imaging techniques based on laser technologies are being researched, and every year new advances are made,” said OILTEBIA coordinator Horacio Lamela, head of the optoelectronics and laser technology group at the UC3M.

In this respect, there are techniques, such as diffuse optical tomography, used to examine the functioning and afflictions of the brain and other organs through noninvasive means. Other significant research is the obtaining of photoacoustic images for the detection of breast cancer. One advantage this has over X-rays is that no ionizing radiation is used. This technology utilizes the property of ultrasonic wave generation in tissue when it is illuminated with short, high-energy pulses of light. These signals make it possible to detect concentrations of chromophores (i.e., oxygenated hemoglobin, deoxygenated hemoglobin, and lipids) and map tissue to find angiogenesis, a process which occurs in the malignant transformation of tumor growth, explained the UC3M researchers. During the sessions of the European Summer School, they held a workshop on how to obtain these kinds of images with the laser optoacoustic imaging system, available in their laboratory in addition to a breast tissue simulator.

The scientists also hope to make advances with regard to hardware, including the design of pulsed sources for high-energy laser diodes and laser characterization to generate photoacoustic waves. “As some of the partners in the project are large companies, it is possible the researchers will present designs for some very interesting and innovative devices,” said Dr. Horacio Lamela, who noted that there is a lot of work on signal processing which might produce new advances, such as three-dimensional (3D)-reconstruction algorithms and different types of image fusion, like optical spectroscopy and ultrasonic signal processing. “Using different wavelengths allows us not only to map tissues but also detect certain substances and their concentrations,” Dr. Lamela explained.

During the research process, the scientists explained, it is difficult to know how long it might take for a device or system to become available on the market. Moreover, when trying to implement new technology in a clinical setting, one must keep in mind how this technologic transfer occurs. “A promising technology might take several years to be one hundred percent available, as it has to undergo a series of exhaustive checks even when the benefits with regard to techniques that are already used are evident,” noted the scientists. The design, development, and test stages are usually repeated to refine the effectiveness and efficiency of the systems. Later, preclinical tests must be conducted, and then clinical tests on humans and everything requires a series of certifications and standardizations to offer the user maximum safety.

OILTEBIA’s goal is to provide advanced training to researchers in the new laser techniques of biomedical optical imaging, whose applications include everything from basic research and discovery of medicines to new imaging for clinical diagnosis. These new medical imaging techniques are beginning to shift from the laboratory to the hospital.

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Universidad Carlos III de Madrid
OILTEBIA