Abstract

We measured the fluorescence and excitation spectra from different tissues of the gynecological tract (uterus, cervix, and ovary) by means of both laser and lamp excitation. Experiments were performed by using different excitation wavelengths on fresh tissues, dried tissues, and also the interstitial medium. We found significant differences between the normal and tumor tissues. Statistics analyses show the specificity, sensitivity, and accuracy of determining malignancy by means of these spectroscopic differences. The reasons for differences in spectra profiles may be attributed to the transformation of the local distribution of the different molecular groups such as flavins, tryptophan, tyrosine, and hemoglobin. We will discuss their contribution to the fluorescence profile and the similarity between the spectra of the different tissues.

© 1990 Optical Society of America