The authors of this Optics Letters article present a proof-of-principle study for the detection of prostate cancer tissue using an all-optical approach. The technique is based on the detection of fluorescence emission resulting from tissue excitation with low-intensity laser light, at visible wavelengths. The study provides evidence that the optically-measured tissue changes – between cancer and non-cancer prostate – can be traced back to specific biomolecules, including the amino acid Tryptophan, the protein collagen, and the co-enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH).

The clinical management of prostate cancer (PCa) is a challenge in modern society. Men can become PCa patients when suspicion of the disease results from abnormal blood prostate specific antigen (PSA), which can trigger more investigations from imaging tests and an invasive needle biopsy procedure. That procedure, along with imaging results, allows physicians to assess the nature of the disease and outline treatment options, ranging from a ‘wait-and-see’ approach to radical prostatectomy, and/or possibly drug-based approaches and radiotherapy.

The technique developed by the authors of this study offers the enticing prospect of being further developed for use as an adjunct to prostate cancer management, possibly as a surgical guidance technique, or a diagnostic approach to improve diagnostic accuracy to provide treatment options tailored to the specific nature of a patient’s disease.

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