Affiliation: | 1. Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China;2. College of Physics and Electronic Information Engineering, Minjiang University, Fuzhou, China;3. Key Laboratory of OptoElectronic Science and Technology for Medicine of Ministry of Education, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Photonics Technology, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China College of Life Science, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China;4. College of Mechanical Engineering and Automation, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China;5. Department of Radiation Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China;6. Department of Pathology, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China |
Abstract: | Ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion (DCISM) is a challenging subtype of breast cancer with controversial invasiveness and prognosis. Accurate diagnosis of DCISM from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is crucial for optimal treatment and improved clinical outcomes. However, there are often some suspicious small cancer nests in DCIS, and it is difficult to diagnose the presence of intact myoepithelium by conventional hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained images. Although a variety of biomarkers are available for immunohistochemical (IHC) staining of myoepithelial cells, no single biomarker is consistently sensitive to all tumor lesions. Here, we introduced a new diagnostic method that provides rapid and accurate diagnosis of DCISM using multiphoton microscopy (MPM). Suspicious foci in H&E-stained images were labeled as regions of interest (ROIs), and the nuclei within these ROIs were segmented using a deep learning model. MPM was used to capture images of the ROIs in H&E-stained sections. The intensity of two-photon excitation fluorescence (TPEF) in the myoepithelium was significantly different from that in tumor parenchyma and tumor stroma. Through the use of MPM, the myoepithelium and basement membrane can be easily observed via TPEF and second-harmonic generation (SHG), respectively. By fusing the nuclei in H&E-stained images with MPM images, DCISM can be differentiated from suspicious small cancer clusters in DCIS. The proposed method demonstrated good consistency with the cytokeratin 5/6 (CK5/6) myoepithelial staining method (kappa coefficient = 0.818). |