Dielectric imaging for differentiation between cancer and inflammation in vivo

Abstract

In this study, we develop an in vivo dielectric imaging technique that measures capacitance using pin-type electrode arrays. Compared to normal tissues, cancer tissues exhibit higher capacitance values, allowing us to image the cancer region and monitor the chemotherapeutic effects of cancer in real-time. A comparison with the histopathological results shows that the in vivo dielectric imaging technique is able to detect small tumors (<3 mm) and tumor-associated changes. In addition, we demonstrate that cancer and inflammation may be distinguished by measuring the capacitance images at different frequencies. In contrast, the positron emission tomography using 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose was not capable of discriminating between cancer and inflammation.