The origins of polarimetric image contrast between healthy and cancerous human colon tissue

Tatiana Novikova (1) , Angelo Pierangelo (1) , Sandeep Manhas (1) , Abdelali Benali (2) , Pierre Validire (2) , Brice Gayet (3) , Antonello de Martino (1)

1 LPICM - Laboratoire de physique des interfaces et des couches minces [Palaiseau]
2 Departement d'Anatomopathologie
3 Departement medico-chirurgical de pathologie digestive

Experimentally measured spectral Mueller matrix images of ex vivo human colon tissue revealed the contrast enhancement between healthy and cancerous zones of colon specimen compared to unpolarized intensity images. Cancer development starts with abnormal changes which being not yet visible macroscopically may alter the polarization of reflected light. We have shown with experiments and modeling that light scattering by small (sub wavelength) scatterers and light absorption (mainly due to blood hemoglobin) are the key factors for observed polarimetric image contrast. These findings can pave the way for the alternative optical technique for the monitoring and early detection of cancer.

Domaines: Optique [physics.optics]

Tatiana Novikova, Angelo Pierangelo, Sandeep Manhas, Abdelali Benali, Pierre Validire, et al.. The origins of polarimetric image contrast between healthy and cancerous human colon tissue. Applied Physics Letters, 2013, 102, pp.241103. ⟨10.1063/1.4811414⟩. ⟨hal-00904992⟩