Polarimetric imaging-based cancer bladder tissue's detection: A comparative study of bulk and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples

The polarimetry imaging technique as a promising technique for pathological diagnosis provides a handy tool for identifying and discriminating cancerous tissues. In this paper, the optical polarization properties of bulk bladder tissues without any further processing and Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) blocks of bladder tissues have been measured. The images of the Muller matrix for both normal and cancerous samples have been ob-tained and for quantitative analysis and to provide a more precise comparison, two methods have been applied; the Mueller matrix polar decomposition (MMPD), and the Mueller matrix transformation (MMT). The results have shown that some of the extracted parameters from these methods can be used to identify the microstruc-tural differentiations between normal and cancerous tissues. The results revealed a good accord between the obtained optical parameters for bulk and FFPE bladder tissues. By measuring the polarimetric properties of the tissue right after resection, and also in the early stages of pathology (FFPE tissues), this method can be applied in vivo to perform an optical biopsy; Furthermore, this method has the potential to significantly shortens the duration of pathological diagnosis. The approach seems remarkable, simple, precise, and economical compared to the existing techniques for the detection of cancerous samples.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the application of polarimetry imaging technique in pathological diagnosis of bladder tissues. By measuring the optical polarization properties of bulk and Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) bladder tissues, and applying Mueller matrix polar decomposition and transformation methods for analysis, it is found that the extracted parameters can be used to differentiate the microstructural differences between normal and cancerous tissues. The method can be used for in vivo optical biopsy and has the potential to significantly shorten the duration of pathological diagnosis.