Terahertz pulse imaging of in-vitro basal cell carcinoma samples

Summary form only given. The use of Terahertz Pulse Imaging (TPI) for the analysis of skin cancer has been investigated. Our initial experiments have focused on the analysis of basal cell carcinoma (BCC), the most common form of skin cancer. BCC seldom metastasize but can be locally very invasive. The current diagnosis of carcinomas is by visual examination, where suspicious lesions require biopsy and subsequent histological diagnosis, which is painful, time consuming and may require additional tissue removal. The use of TPI as a diagnostic tool for skin cancer is of particular interest as its long wavelengths lead to a reduction in Rayleigh scattering and a resultant axial resolution of approximately 80 /spl mu/m. The spectroscopic information of TPI may prove to be advantageous in the discrimination between tumor types, which is unattainable using other methods such as ultrasound. Through the use of TPI, unnecessary biopsies could be avoided, by providing in-vivo measurements before surgery to identify the type and depth of tumor present.