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Optical imaging for cervical cancer detection: solutions for a continuing global problem

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 8, pages 725–731 (2008)Cite this article

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for women in developing countries. Optical technologies can improve the accuracy and availability of cervical cancer screening. For example, battery-powered digital cameras can obtain multi-spectral images of the entire cervix, highlighting suspicious areas, and high-resolution optical technologies can further interrogate such areas, providing in vivo diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity. In addition, targeted contrast agents can highlight changes in biomarkers of cervical neoplasia. Such advances should provide a much needed global approach to cervical cancer prevention.

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Figure 1: Current and future cervical screening techniques.
Figure 2: The development of cervical precancer leads to changes in the optical properties of both the epithelium and the stroma.
Figure 3: Wide-field imaging and spectroscopy.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the support of a National Institutes of Health Bioengineering Research Partnerships grant (CA103830).

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  1. Nadhi Thekkek and Rebecca Richards-Kortum are at the Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6,100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.,

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Correspondence to Rebecca Richards-Kortum.

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R. R.-K. has an ownership stake in Remicalm, Inc. and serves as an unpaid member of its Scientific Advisory Board.

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Thekkek, N., Richards-Kortum, R. Optical imaging for cervical cancer detection: solutions for a continuing global problem. Nat Rev Cancer 8, 725–731 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2462

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