The Use of Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging and Vibrational Studies to Compare Noninvasive Measurements and Histopathology: A pilot Study of Squamous Cell Carcinoma

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Published Jun 29, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i6.6543

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Main Article Content

Gayathri Kollipara
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.
Frederick H. Silver
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; OptoVibronex, LLC., Ben Franklin Tech Ventures, Bethlehem, PA 18105, USA.
Tanmay Deshmukh
OptoVibronex, LLC., Ben Franklin Tech Ventures, Bethlehem, PA 18105, USA.
Aanal Patel
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA.

Abstract

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma is a cutaneous skin lesion that is the second numerous skin cancer after basal cell carcinoma. It is more likely to metastasize to secondary sites compared to basal cell carcinomas.


Objective: To determine if noninvasive optical coherence tomography images and vibrational data can be correlated with histopathology of squamous cell carcinoma to better understand how this lesion can be determined without a biopsy.


Methods: We have used vibrational optical coherence tomography and histopathology to determine if optical coherence tomography subchannel images and noninvasive measurements can be correlated with lesion histopathology. Optical tomography images were collected on cancer excisions before they were sent for standard diagnosis by a dermatopathologist. The gray scale optical coherence tomography images were broken down into green (low pixel intensity), blue (medium intensity), and red (high intensity) subchannels images and scanned to create pixel intensity versus depth plots. Quantitative mechanovibrational spectra and optical coherence tomography images during vibration with sound frequencies between 50 and 80 Hz were also collected.


Results: Our results indicate that green subchannel maximum pixel intensities representing the cellular content of squamous cell carcinomas are lower than those of normal skin and appear to decrease as the lesion size of keratinous accumulations increase. In addition, the blue subchannel which provides information on collagen appears to change as the size and amount of the lesions increases. This is due to the forward scattering (Mie scattering) of the infrared light deeper into the sample by the large cellular and keratin accumulations present.


Conclusion: The height and width of the pixel intensity versus depth plots can be used to characterize the type of lesion and its relative size. In addition, when the sample is vibrated at or near the resonant frequency of the cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and keratinocytes the lesion almost vanishes in the green, blue, and red subchannels channels. These results suggest that vibrational coherence tomography can be used in telemedicine to classify lesions in areas where Dermatologist visits are difficult to schedule.

Keywords: VOCT, OCT, squamous cell cancer, imaging, resonant frequency, elastic modulus, RGB subchannel images

Article Details

How to Cite
KOLLIPARA, Gayathri et al. The Use of Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging and Vibrational Studies to Compare Noninvasive Measurements and Histopathology: A pilot Study of Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 6, june 2025. ISSN 2375-1924. Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/6543>. Date accessed: 17 july 2025. doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i6.6543.
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Issue
Vol 13 No 6 (2025): Vol.13, Issue 6, June 2025
Section
Research Articles

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