Dynamic Optical Contrast Imaging for Differentiation of Thyroid Cancer With Implications for Diagnosis and Treatment

Sunday, September 29, 2024

3:12 PM – 3:18 PM EDT

Location: MBCC, 209

Disclosure(s):

Ethan J. Han, BS:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Lauran K. Evans, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Israa A. Laklouk, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Maie A. St. John, MD, PhD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Tumor pathology heavily influences treatment paradigms in thyroid cancers. However, initial histopathological analysis may be nondiagnostic or indeterminate, resulting in diagnostic uncertainty. Dynamic optical contrast imaging (DOCI) differentiates tissue types by leveraging endogenous fluorophore autofluorescence, allowing for acquisition of specific tissue properties over a large field of view. This pilot study demonstrates DOCI’s utility for the pathological diagnosis of thyroid cancers.

Methods: Tissues from patients who underwent thyroidectomy for papillary (PTC) or anaplastic (ATC) thyroid cancer were included. Excised specimens underwent standard haematoxylin/eosin staining review by a pathologist, and corresponding unstained slides from identified regions of interest (ROIs) and normal thyroid tissue sections were imaged using DOCI. Univariate comparisons between the DOCI values of PTC, ATC, and normal thyroid tissue were conducted using Kruskal-Wallis testing with post-hoc Dunn testing.

Results: A total of 54 specimens (20 PTC, 14 ATC, and 20 normal thyroid tissue samples) were imaged with DOCI. In the spectral filters capturing collagen autofluorescence (408-425 nm), PTC displayed the highest DOCI signal, followed by ATC then normal thyroid tissue (all comparisons p <0.05). PTC also showed significantly elevated DOCI values compared to ATC and normal thyroid in the spectral channels of NADH (481-505 nm) and FAD (555-585 nm) autofluorescence (all p <0.05). A 400 nm long-pass filter yielded a greater DOCI signal in normal thyroid tissue compared to ATC (p =0.0008).

Conclusions: Dynamic optical contrast imaging generates unique spectral profiles that delineate PTC, ATC, and normal thyroid tissue. By improving diagnostic accuracy in thyroid malignancies, DOCI could reduce indeterminate results and overtreatment, especially if applied to fine needle aspiration biopsies. Given the surgical implications of different thyroid cancer pathologies, enhanced pathological clarity with DOCI is clinically valuable.

Presenting Author(s)

Ethan J. Han, BS

Medical Student
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Co-Author(s)

DC

David A. Cronkite, MD

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
AY

Alice C. Yu, BA

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
LE

Lauran K. Evans, MD

Resident Physician
UCLA Health
Las Vegas, NV, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
BM

Brandon Mo, BS

Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
YA

Yazeed M. Alhiyari, PhD

Research Scientist
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA, United States

Disclosure information not submitted.
Israa A. Laklouk, MD

Assistant professor
Department of Pathology, University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Senior Author(s)

Maie A. St. John, MD, PhD

Professor and Chair
Professor and Chair of the Department of Head & Neck Surgery at UCLA; Thomas C. Calcaterra, MD, Chair in Head and Neck Surgery
Los Angeles, California, United States

Disclosure(s):
faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.