FREQUENCY-DOMAIN PHOTON MIGRATION MEASUREMENTS OF NORMAL AND MALIGNANT-TISSUE OPTICAL-PROPERTIES IN A HUMAN SUBJECT

A 1-GHz multifrequency, multiwavelength frequency-domain photon migrat ion instrument is used to measure quantitatively the optical absorptio n (mu(a)) and effective optical scattering (mu'(s)) of normal and mali gnant tissues in a human subject. Large ellipsoidal (similar to 10-cm major axis, similar to 6-cm minor axes) subcutaneous malignant lesions were compared with adjacent normal sites in the abdomen and back. Abs orption coefficients recorded at 674, 811, 849, and 956 mm were used t o calculate tissue hemoglobin concentration (oxyhemoglobin, deoxyhemog lobin, and total), water concentration, hemoglobin oxygen saturation, and blood volume fraction in vivo. Our results show that the normal an d the malignant tissues measured in the patient have clearly resolvabl e optical and physiological property differences that may be broadly u seful in identifying and characterizing tumors. (C) 1997 Optical Socie ty of America