New Imaging Tech to Improve Diagnosis and Treatment of Skin Cancers

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy worldwide, and accurately assessing tumor invasion or treatment response remains a major clinical challenge. Current imaging methods, such as confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography, provide high-resolution images only at shallow tissue depths, while deeper imaging approaches like ultrasound often lack contrast or precision. Now, a new non-invasive optical imaging method promises to overcome these limitations by providing deeper, clearer views of biological tissues.

The technology, being developed by researchers at the University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ, USA), is termed Synthetic Wavelength Imaging (SWI) and uses two distinct illumination wavelengths to generate a virtual “synthetic” wavelength. This longer wavelength allows light to penetrate deeper into tissue with minimal scattering while retaining the high contrast from the original wavelengths, enabling detailed visualization of skin cancers.

The project is specifically focusing on nonmelanoma skin cancers such as basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, which present varied lesion depths and invasion patterns. If successful, the SWI method will provide the tunable imaging capabilities necessary to accurately assess tumor characteristics and monitor treatment. The researchers aim to translate these imaging advances into clinical practice to better define tumor margins and monitor treatment progress in real time.

The improved visualization may help detect invasive lesions earlier and personalize non-invasive therapy plans. In addition to skin cancer, the wide tunability of the synthetic wavelength could enable imaging of other tissues such as the breast or human brain, expanding its potential to other diagnostic and surgical applications.

"Our goal is to translate these imaging advances into clinical practice," said Curiel-Lewandrowski, principal investigator. "If we can detect invasive lesions earlier, define tumor margins more precisely, and monitor response to non-invasive treatments in real time, we can maximize the effectiveness of emerging therapeutic approaches. This will also allow us to tailor intervention length and dosing individually to each patient."

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