Optical imaging as an adjunct to ultrasound in differentiating benign from malignant lesions

The role of near infrared diffusive (NIR) light imaging as an adjunct to ultrasound in differentiating benign from malignant lesions was evaluated in 27 patients with cancers, apocrine metaplasia, fibroadenomas, radial scar and ductal hypoplasia, cysts and normal tissues. The NIR functional imaging parameters used were deoxygenation and blood volume. Three out of four biopsy confirmed benign lesions found suspicious by ultrasound did not show significant and/or consistent deoxygenation and blood volume changes. Three out of four biopsy confirmed malignant lesions found suspicious for malignancy by ultrasound showed significant and consistent deoxygenation and blood volume changes. One complicated biopsy confirmed benign radial scar and ductal hypoplasia showed architectural distortion on screening mammogram and an isolated area of prominent ductal structure in ultrasound image. Optical functional imaging showed no consistent deoxygenation and blood volume changes. Optical imaging did not produce any false positives in obvious normal tissues and cysts diagnosed by ultrasound. These preliminary results indicate that optical imaging has a great potential to aid ultrasound in differentiating benign from malignant lesions and therefore to reduce the unnecessary biopsies.