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Detection of preinvasive cancer cells

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An Erratum to this article was published on 23 November 2000

Early-warning changes in precancerous epithelial cells can now be spotted in situ.

Abstract

More than 85% of all cancers originate in the epithelium that lines the internal surfaces of organs throughout the body. Although these are readily treatable provided they are diagnosed in one of the preinvasive stages1, early lesions are often almost impossible to detect. Here we present a new optical-probe technique based on light-scattering spectroscopy that is able to detect precancerous and early cancerous changes in cell-rich epithelia.

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Figure 1: Classification of dysplasia and carcinoma in situ by light-scattering spectroscopy compared with diagnosis by histology for four types of epithelial tissue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laser Biomedical Research Center, G. R. Harrison Spectroscopy Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, 02139, Massachusetts, USA

    V. Backman, L. T. Perelman, J. T. Arendt, R. Gurjar, M. G. Müller, Q. Zhang, G. Zonios, R. R. Dasari, I. Itzkan & M. S. Feld

  2. Division of Gastroenterology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    M. B. Wallace & J. Van Dam

  3. Department of Urology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA

    E. Kline

  4. New England Medical Center, Boston, 02132, Massachusetts, USA

    T. McGillican, S. Shapshay, T. Valdez & S. Kabani

  5. Department of Pathology, Children's Hospital, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    K. Badizadegan

  6. Department of Pathology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, 06520-8023, Connecticut, USA

    J. M. Crawford

  7. Department of Pathology, University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland , 44106, Ohio, USA

    M. Fitzmaurice

  8. Department of Pathology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, 44106, Ohio, USA

    H. S. Levin

  9. US Veteran Administration Hospital , West Roxbury, 02132, Massachusetts, USA

    M. Seiler

Authors
  1. V. Backman
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  2. M. B. Wallace
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  3. L. T. Perelman
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  4. J. T. Arendt
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  5. R. Gurjar
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  6. M. G. Müller
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  7. Q. Zhang
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  8. G. Zonios
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  9. E. Kline
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  10. T. McGillican
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  11. S. Shapshay
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  12. T. Valdez
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  13. K. Badizadegan
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  14. J. M. Crawford
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  15. M. Fitzmaurice
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  16. S. Kabani
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  17. H. S. Levin
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  18. M. Seiler
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  19. R. R. Dasari
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  20. I. Itzkan
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  21. J. Van Dam
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  22. M. S. Feld
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. S. Feld.

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Backman, V., Wallace, M., Perelman, L. et al. Detection of preinvasive cancer cells. Nature 406, 35–36 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35017638

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