Simultaneous optical coherence tomography and laser induced fluorescence imaging in rat model of ovarian carcinogenesis

Abstract

Determining if an ovarian mass is benign or malignant is an ongoing clinical challenge. The development of reliable animal models provides means to evaluate new diagnostic tools to more accurately determine if an ovary has benign or malignant features. Although sex cord-stromal tumors (SCST) account for 0.1-0.5% of ovarian malignancies, they have similar appearances to more aggressive epithelial cancers and can serve as a prototype for developing better diagnostic methods for ovarian cancer. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy are non-destructive optical imaging modalities. OCT provides architectural cross-sectional images at near histological resolutions and LIF provides biochemical information. We utilize combined OCT-LIF to image ovaries in post-menopausal ovarian carcinogenesis rat models, evaluating normal cyclic, acyclic, and neoplastic ovaries. Eighty-three female Fisher rats were exposed to combinations of control sesame oil, 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD) to induce ovarian failure, and/or 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) to induce carcinogenesis. Three or five months post-treatment, 162 ovaries were harvested and imaged with OCT-LIF: 40 cyclic, 105 acyclic, and 17 SCST. OCT identified various follicle stages, corpora lutea (CL), CL remnants, epithelial invaginations/inclusions, and allowed for characterization of both cystic and solid SCST. Signal attenuation comparisons between CL and solid SCST revealed statistically significant increases in attenuation among CL. LIF characterized spectral differences in cyclic, acyclic, and neoplastic ovaries attributed to collagen, NADH/FAD, and hemoglobin absorption. We present combined OCT-LIF imaging in a rat ovarian carcinogenesis model, providing preliminary criteria for normal cyclic, acyclic, and SCST ovaries which support the potential of OCT-LIF for ovarian imaging.