Clinical optical tomography and NIR spectroscopy for breast cancer detection

The results of the first set of clinical trials with the Philips optical mammography prototype system are summarized. This optical mammo prototype is designed to image the interior of the female breast with the help of near-infrared (NIR) laser light transmission measurements. This study is expected to lead to optical tomography systems for breast cancer detection. This paper presents information on the design of the optical mammo system, the clinical measurements and the imaging results from an initial group of ten patients, and discussions about ongoing research on optical tomography.