NIR technique identifies breast cancer and therapy response

The non-invasive technology, developed at the university’s School of Engineering, uses near-infrared (NIR) light to scan breast tissue and then applies an algorithm to interpret that information.

According to a statement, differences in light absorption enable the identification of water, fats and oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor tissue, the primary structures in breast tissue.

‘The consensus is that X-ray mammography is very good at detecting lesions but it’s not as good at determining which suspicious lesions are really cancer,’ said lead researcher Sergio Fantini, professor of biomedical engineering.

The Tufts NIR technique could complement standard mammography, particularly for women younger than 40 who may have dense breast tissue that tends to obscure detail in X-rays.

Because it does not use ionising radiation, the NIR technique can be applied multiple times over a short period without risk of radiation exposure, Fantini said. Another advantage of the technology is that, unlike other breast-imaging methods, it can obtain functional real-time images of metabolic changes, such as levels of haemoglobin concentration and oxygenation.