Abstract
In this study, we investigated the spectral characteristics of Spontaneous Photon Emission (SPE) from the body surface of a human breast cancer-bearing nude mice model during the overall growth process of breast cancers. By comparing and analyzing the data, we found that there was a striking difference between tumor mice and healthy controls in the spectral distribution of SPE from the body surface of lesion site, even when the morphological changes at the lesion site were not obvious. The spectral distribution of SPE from the healthy site of the tumor mice also differed from that of the healthy controls as the breast cancer developed to a certain stage. In addition, the difference in spectrum was related with different growth states of tumors. Interestingly, there was a positive correlation between the spectral ratio (610–630/395–455 nm) and the logarithm of the tumor volume for both the lesion site (R2 = 0.947; p < 0.001) and the normal site (R2 = 0.892; p < 0.001) of the tumor mice. The results suggested that the spectrum of SPE was sensitive to changes in the tumor status.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females worldwide
The precise mechanism by which reactive oxygen species (ROS) affects the spectrum of Spontaneous ultra-weak photon emission (SPE) is not clear, our results indicate that the spectrum of SPE is sensitive to the changes in physiological and pathological conditions of lesion site and could be used as a meaningful biophysical indicator for tumor analysis in breast cancer, even if the cancer is in its primary stage
We reported the spectral characteristics of SPE from the body surface of human breast cancer-bearing nude mice models throughout the breast cancer growth process by using a high-sensitivity double-PMT SPE-detection system and a series of cut-off filters
Summary
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death among females worldwide. Many studies have reported that breast cancers show increased production of ROS and a high level of oxidative stress in breast cancer tissue or a significant increase in the levels of oxidative stress markers in the plasma from breast cancer patients[12,13,14,15,16] In this sense, it is of great significance to develop a new sensitive and non-invasive approach to detect changes of metabolism in vivo to improve the detective rate and accuracy of preliminary screening of breast cancers, especially in its early stages. In our previous study[35], we demonstrated that SPE intensity from the body surface could significantly distinguish the breast cancer-bearing nude mice from healthy controls, no matter whether the morphological changes of the tumors were obvious. We could provide a more precise evidence for the use of SPE as a non-invasive biophysical indicator in the breast cancer research
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