Early increase in blood supply (EIBS) is associated with tumor risk in the Azoxymethane model of colon cancer.

BACKGROUND: The present study aimed to investigate the role of blood supply in early tumorigenesis in colorectal cancer. We leveraged the renin angiotensin system (RAS) to alter colonic blood supply and determine the effect on tumor initiation and progression. METHODS: To test the effect of blood supply on tumorigenesis, 53 male A/J mice were randomly assigned to one of three RAS modulation groups and one of two AOM treatments. The RAS modulation groups were I) water (RAS-unmodulated) as a control group, II) angiotensin-II and III) the angiotensin receptor blocker, Losartan. The mice in each group were then randomly split into either the saline control condition or the AOM-treated condition in which tumors were induced with a standard protocol of serial azoxymethane (AOM) injections. To monitor microvascular changes in the rectal mucosa during the study, we used confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE) with FITC-Dextran for in-vivo imaging of vessels and polarization-gated spectroscopy (PGS) to quantify rectal hemoglobin concentration ([Hb]) and blood vessel radius (BVR). RESULTS: At 12 weeks post-AOM injections and before tumor formation, CLE images revealed many traditional hallmarks of angiogenesis including vessel dilation, loss of co-planarity, irregularity, and vessel sprouting in the pericryptal capillaries of the rectal mucosa in AOM-Water tumor bearing mice. PGS measurements at the same time-point showed increased rectal [Hb] and decreased BVR. At later time points, CLE images showed pronounced angiogenic features including irregular networks throughout the colon. Notably, the AOM-Losartan mice had significantly lower tumor multiplicity and did not exhibit the same angiogenic features observed with CLE, or the increase in [Hb] or decrease in BVR measured with PGS. The AOM-AngII mice did not have any significant trends. CONCLUSION: In-vivo PGS measurements of rectal colonic blood supply as well as CLE imaging revealed angiogenic disruptions to the capillary network prior to tumor formation. Losartan demonstrated an effective way to mitigate the changes to blood supply during tumorigenesis and reduce tumor multiplicity. These effects can be used in future studies to understand the early vessel changes observed.

Polarization gating spectroscopy of normal-appearing duodenal mucosa to detect pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: According to the field effect theory, by detecting microvasculature changes such as early increase in blood supply (EIBS) in the surrounding tissue, neoplastic lesions can be identified from a distance. OBJECTIVE: To determine the feasibility and efficacy of a fiberoptic probe containing novel polarization gating spectroscopy technology to identify patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) by the field effect theory. DESIGN: Prospective cohort (pilot) study. SETTING: Outpatient tertiary care center. PATIENTS: Adult (≥ 18 years) patients undergoing EGD-EUS were screened. Patients with PAC were included in the "cancer" group and patients without PAC were included in the "control" group. We excluded patients with other known malignancies and gastroduodenal premalignant lesions. INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Spectroscopic measurements of EIBS variables, such as deoxyhemoglobin concentration (DHb) and mean blood vessel radius (BVR), were obtained from 5 periampullary locations. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used for the statistical analysis (P ≤ .05). RESULTS: Fourteen patients (mean age 72 years, 79% male) in the cancer group and 15 patients (mean age 63 years, 60% male) in the control group were included in the final analysis. At the ampullary site, both DHb (P = .001) and BVR (P = .03) were higher in PAC patients than in the control subjects. The DHb alone (92% sensitivity, 86% specificity) or in combination with BVR (92% sensitivity, 79% specificity) can differentiate PAC from control subjects with high accuracy. LIMITATIONS: Small sample size, unmatched control subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Spectroscopic measurements of EIBS by fiberoptic probes are feasible. Preliminary evidence suggests that in vivo measurement of normal-appearing duodenal tissue can differentiate PAC patients from a distance with high accuracy.

Method of detecting tissue contact for fiber-optic probes to automate data acquisition without hardware modification.

We present a novel algorithm to detect contact with tissue and automate data acquisition. Contact fiber-optic probe systems are useful in noninvasive applications and real-time analysis of tissue properties. However, applications of these technologies are limited to procedures with visualization to ensure probe-tissue contact and individual user techniques can introduce variability. The software design exploits the system previously designed by our group as an optical method to automatically detect tissue contact and trigger acquisition. This method detected tissue contact with 91% accuracy, detected removal from tissue with 83% accuracy and reduced user variability by > 8%. Without the need for additional hardware, this software algorithm can easily integrate into any fiber-optic system and expands applications where visualization is difficult.

Monte Carlo model of the penetration depth for polarization gating spectroscopy: influence of illumination-collection geometry and sample optical properties.

Polarization-gating has been widely used to probe superficial tissue structures, but the penetration depth properties of this method have not been completely elucidated. This study employs a polarization-sensitive Monte Carlo method to characterize the penetration depth statistics of polarization-gating. The analysis demonstrates that the penetration depth depends on both the illumination-collection geometry [illumination-collection area (R) and collection angle (θ(c))] and on the optical properties of the sample, which include the scattering coefficient (µ(s)), absorption coefficient (µ(a)), anisotropy factor (g), and the type of the phase function. We develop a mathematical expression relating the average penetration depth to the illumination-collection beam properties and optical properties of the medium. Finally, we quantify the sensitivity of the average penetration depth to changes in optical properties for different geometries of illumination and collection. The penetration depth model derived in this study can be applied to optimizing application-specific fiber-optic probes to target a sampling depth of interest with minimal sensitivity to the optical properties of the sample.

In vivo measurement of the shape of the tissue-refractive-index correlation function and its application to detection of colorectal field carcinogenesis.

Polarization-gated spectroscopy is an established method to depth-selectively interrogate the structural properties of biological tissue. We employ this method in vivo in the azoxymethane (AOM)-treated rat model to monitor the morphological changes that occur in the field of a tumor during early carcinogenesis. The results demonstrate a statistically significant change in the shape of the refractive-index correlation function for AOM-treated rats versus saline-treated controls. Since refractive index is linearly proportional to mass density, these refractive-index changes can be directly linked to alterations in the spatial distribution patterns of macromolecular density. Furthermore, we found that alterations in the shape of the refractive-index correlation function shape were an indicator of both present and future risk of tumor development. These results suggest that noninvasive measurement of the shape of the refractive-index correlation function could be a promising marker of early cancer development.

Neo-angiogenesis and the premalignant micro-circulatory augmentation of early colon carcinogenesis.

Spectroscopic techniques have demonstrated that in the microscopically normal mucosa, there is an increase in mucosal micro-circulation in patients harboring neoplasia elsewhere in the colon (i.e. marker of field carcinogenesis). However, the physiological and molecular basis of this early increase in blood supply (EIBS) has not been elucidated. We, therefore, investigated the microvessel density (MVD) and angiogenic gene expression in the premalignant colonic mucosa from the well-validated azoxymethane (AOM)-treated rat experimental model of colon carcinogenesis. Fisher 344 rats were treated with AOM (15 mg/kg i.p.) or saline and euthanized 14 weeks later (a time-point that precedes carcinoma development). Colon sections were studied for MVD via immunohistochemical assessment for CD31 and location was compared with optical assessment of mucosal hemoglobin with low-coherence enhanced backscattering spectroscopy (LEBS). Finally, we performed a pilot real-time PCR angiogenesis microarray (84 genes) from the microscopically normal colonic mucosa of AOM and age-matched saline treated rats. AOM treatment increased MVD in both the mucosa and submucosa of the rats (125% increase in mucosa; p<0.007, and 96% increase in submucosa; p<0.02) but the increase was most pronounced at the cryptal base consistent with the LEBS data showing maximal hemoglobin augmentation at 200-225 µm depth. Microarray analysis showed striking dysregulation of angiogenic and anti-angiogenic factors. We demonstrate, for the first time, that neo-angiogenesis occurs in the microscopically normal colonic mucosa and was accentuated at the bottom of the crypt. This finding has potential implications as a biomarker for risk-stratification and target for chemoprevention.

Optical measurement of rectal microvasculature as an adjunct to flexible sigmoidosocopy: gender-specific implications.

Flexible sigmoidoscopy is a robust, clinically validated, and widely available colorectal cancer screening technique that is currently sanctioned by major guideline organizations. Given that endoscopic visualization is generally limited to the distal third of the colon and women tend to have a proclivity for proximal lesions, the flexible sigmoidoscopy performance is markedly inferior in women than in men. Our group has shown that by using a novel light-scattering approach, we were able to detect an early increase in blood supply (EIBS) in the distal colonic mucosa, which served as a marker of field carcinogenesis and, hence, proximal neoplasia. Therefore, we sought to ascertain whether rectal EIBS would improve flexible sigmoidoscopy, especially in women. A polarization-gated spectroscopy fiber-optic probe was used to assess EIBS in the endoscopically normal rectum (n = 366). When compared with gender-matched neoplasia-free controls, females with advanced proximal neoplasia (n = 10) had a robust (60%; P = 0.002) increase in rectal mucosal oxyhemoglobin content whereas the effect size in males was less marked (33%; P = 0.052). In women, addition of rectal oxyhemoglobin tripled the sensitivity for advanced neoplasia over flexible sigmoidoscopy alone. Indeed, the performance characteristics seemed to be excellent (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 76.8%; positive predictive value, 32.6%; and negative predictive value, 100%). A variety of nonneoplastic factors were assessed and did not confound the relationship between rectal EIBS and advanced neoplasia. Therefore, using rectal EIBS in combination with flexible sigmoidoscopy mitigated the gender gap and may allow flexible sigmoidoscopy to be considered as a viable colorectal cancer screening test in women.

Analysis of pressure, angle and temporal effects on tissue optical properties from polarization-gated spectroscopic probe measurements.

Noninvasive optical techniques for tissue characterization, in particular, light scattering properties and blood supply quantification of mucosa, is useful in a wide variety of applications. However, fiber-optic probes that require contact with the tissue surface can present a challenging problem in the variability of in vivo measurements due the nature of interactions, for example affects due to variations in pressure applied to the probe tip. We present an in vivo evaluation of pressure, angle, and temporal effects on tissue properties for polarization-gated spectroscopy at superficial depths (within 100 to 200 microns of tissue surface) for oral mucosa.

Rectal mucosal microvascular blood supply increase is associated with colonic neoplasia.

PURPOSE: Endoscopic examination has proven effective in both detecting and preventing colorectal cancer; however, only about a quarter of eligible patients undergo screening. Even if the compliance rate increased, limited endoscopic capacity and cost would be prohibitive. There is a need for an accurate method to target colonoscopy to those most at risk of harboring colonic neoplasia. Exploiting field carcinogenesis seems to be a promising avenue. Our group recently reported that an early increase in blood supply (EIBS) is a reliable marker of field carcinogenesis in experimental models. We now investigate whether in situ detection of EIBS in the rectum can predict neoplasia elsewhere in the colon. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We developed a novel polarization-gated spectroscopy fiber-optic probe that allows depth-selective interrogation of microvascular blood content. Using the probe, we examined the blood content in vivo from the rectal mucosa of 216 patients undergoing screening colonoscopy. RESULTS: Microvascular blood content was increased by approximately 50% in the endoscopically normal rectal mucosa of patients harboring advanced adenomas when compared with neoplasia-free patients irrespective of lesion location. Demographic factors and nonneoplastic lesions did not confound this observation. Logistic regression using mucosal oxyhemoglobin concentration and patient age resulted in a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 82%, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.88 for the detection of advanced adenomas. CONCLUSIONS: Increased microvascular blood supply in the normal rectal mucosa is associated with the presence of clinically significant neoplasia elsewhere in the colon, supporting the development of rectal EIBS as a colon cancer risk-stratification tool.

Spectroscopic microvascular blood detection from the endoscopically normal colonic mucosa: biomarker for neoplasia risk.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: We previously used a novel biomedical optics technology, 4-dimensional elastically scattered light fingerprinting, to show that in experimental colon carcinogenesis the predysplastic epithelial microvascular blood content is increased markedly. To assess the potential clinical translatability of this putative field effect marker, we characterized the early increase in blood supply (EIBS) in human beings in vivo. METHODS: We developed a novel, endoscopically compatible, polarization-gated, spectroscopic probe that was capable of measuring oxygenated and deoxygenated (Dhb) hemoglobin specifically in the mucosal microcirculation through polarization gating. Microvascular blood content was measured in 222 patients from the endoscopically normal cecum, midtransverse colon, and rectum. If a polyp was present, readings were taken from the polyp tissue along with the normal mucosa 10-cm and 30-cm proximal and distal to the lesion. RESULTS: Tissue phantom studies showed that the probe had outstanding accuracy for hemoglobin determination (r(2) = 0.99). Augmentation of microvasculature blood content was most pronounced within the most superficial ( approximately 100 microm) layer and dissipated in deeper layers (ie, submucosa). EIBS was detectable within 30 cm from the lesion and the magnitude mirrored adenoma proximity. This occurred for both oxygenated hemoglobin and DHb, with the effect size being slightly greater for DHb. EIBS correlated with adenoma size and was not engendered by nonneoplastic (hyperplastic) polyps. CONCLUSIONS: We show, herein, that in vivo microvascular blood content can be measured and provides an accurate marker of field carcinogenesis. This technological/biological advance has numerous potential applications in colorectal cancer screening such as improved polyp detection and risk stratification.