Maintaining Breast Health: An approach to use Optical spectroscopy to assess Breast Cancer risk in (young) women
Speaker:
Lothar Lilge, PhD
Senior Scientist, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre
Professor of Medical Biophysics, University of Toronto
Host: Prof Carlos Penedo
9th May 2024, 3 pm, School of Physics and Astronomy, Lecture Theatre C
Given the long time delay from the initial genetic modifications to the establishment of detectable breast cancer (BC), the use of mammographic breast density (MBD) as a risk factor has limitations, particularly as the onset of mammographic screening is temporally removed by decades from periods of rapid cellular expansion in a woman’s life, puberty and pregnancy. Optical Breast Spectroscopy (OBS) is sensitive to the same molecular structures that give contrast to MBD without the use of ionizing radiation. It can be employed frequently to monitor changes in a woman’s breast, particularly during puberty and pregnancy. The presentation covers the evolution of hardware development into portable devices, and a qualitative performance comparison with mammography and dual x-ray to derive at an MBD measure. The OBS devices are being used in several population-based studies in Caucasian and non-Hispanic black cohorts. We could demonstrate temporal MBD changes in women less than 40 years of age and show correlations with various established environmental exposures presenting BC risk factors