Method for detecting cancerous tissue using visible native luminescence
US4930516A · kind A · utility
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1988 |
| Grant date | Jun 5, 1990 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2008 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S607/901
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of cancerous tissue using visible luminescence. The tissue to be examined is excited with a beam of monochromatic light that causes the tissue to fluoresce over a spectrum of wavelengths. The intensity at which the excited tissue fluoresces can be measured either over a spectrum or at a predetermined number of preselected wavelengths. By determining the wavelength(s) at which maximum intensity(ies) are attained for the tissue in question and by comparing these peak wavelengths, either visually or electronically, to the peak wavelength(s) derived from a known non-cancerous tissue, or by comparing the spectrum of the excited tissue with the spectrum of a known noncancerous tissue one can determine the carcinomatoid status of the tissue in question. The invention is based on the discovery that the visible luminescence spectra for cancerous and non-cancerous tissue are substantially different and that the differences are such that visible luminescence from tissue can be used to detect the presence of cancer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.