Endoscopic OCT Approaches Toward Cancer Diagnosis

A majority of human cancers originate in the epithelial tissues of the body. These include cancers in the oral cavity and pharynx, the digestive system, the respiratory system, the genital system, and the urinary system. It has been shown that early detection of these cancers can significantly improve the prognosis of affected patients. These cancers are currently diagnosed using endoscopic methods during which video imaging systems are inserted to visualize the tissue surface and guide tissue biopsies. Endoscopic optical coherence tomography (EOCT) has the potential to improve the early detection of epithelial cancers by providing high resolution, subsurface images of epithelial tissues. These subsurface images can assist the surgeon in selecting biopsy locations, and may also provide diagnostic information including the presence of cancerous and precancerous conditions in these tissues. This paper reviews current EOCT approaches toward imaging and evaluating internal epithelial tissues for various pathologies.