We report the use of reflection-mode terahertz (THz) imaging in a transgenic mouse model of breast cancer. Unlike tumor xenografts that are grown from established cell lines, these tumors were spontaneously generated in the mammary fat pad of mice, and are a better representation of human breast cancer. THz imaging results from 7 tumors that recapitulate the compartmental complexity of breast cancer are presented here. Imaging was first performed on freshly excised tumors within an hour of excision and then repeated after fixation with formalin and paraffin. These THz images were then compared with histopathology to determine reflection-mode signals from specific regions within tumor. Our results demonstrate that the THz signal was consistently higher in cancerous tissue compared with fat, muscle, and fibrous tissue. Almost all tumors presented in this work demonstrated advanced stages where cancer infiltrated other tissues like fat and fibrous stroma. As the first known THz investigation in a transgenic model, these results hold promise for THz imaging at different stages of breast cancer.

中文翻译：

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乳腺癌自发模型中肿瘤的脉冲太赫兹反射成像


我们报告了反射模式太赫兹（THz）成像在乳腺癌转基因小鼠模型中的应用。与从已建立的细胞系生长的肿瘤异种移植物不同，这些肿瘤是在小鼠乳腺脂肪垫中自发产生的，并且是人类乳腺癌的更好代表。本文介绍了 7 个肿瘤的太赫兹成像结果，概括了乳腺癌的区室复杂性。首先在切除后一小时内对新鲜切除的肿瘤进行成像，然后在用福尔马林和石蜡固定后重复成像。然后将这些太赫兹图像与组织病理学进行比较，以确定来自肿瘤内特定区域的反射模式信号。我们的结果表明，与脂肪、肌肉和纤维组织相比，癌组织中的太赫兹信号始终较高。这项工作中提出的几乎所有肿瘤都已处于晚期，其中癌症已浸润其他组织，如脂肪和纤维间质。作为第一个已知的转基因模型太赫兹研究，这些结果为乳腺癌不同阶段的太赫兹成像带来了希望。