Hyperspectral fluorescence lifetime fibre probe spectroscopy for use in the study and diagnosis of osteoarthritis and skin cancer
Thompson A., Manning H., Brydegaard M., Coda S., Kennedy G., Patalay R., Waitong-Braemming U., De Beule P., Neil M., Andersson-Engels S., Itoh Y., Bendsøe N., Dunsby C., Svanberg K., French PM.
We present the application of two fibre-optic-coupled time-resolved spectrofluorometers and a compact steady-state diffuse reflected light/fluorescence spectrometer to in vivo and ex vivo studies of skin cancer and osteoarthritis. In a clinical study of skin cancer, 27 lesions on 25 patients were investigated in vivo before surgical excision of the region measured. Preliminary analysis reveals a statistically significant decrease in the autofluorescence lifetime of basal cell carcinomas compared to neighbouring healthy tissue. A study of autofluorescence signals associated with the onset of osteoarthritis indicates autofluorescence lifetime changes associated with collagen degradation. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).