Environmental Health Perspectives 105, Supplement 1, February 1997

Native Cellular Fluorescence and Its Application to Cancer Prevention

Stimson P. Schantz,1 Howard E. Savage,1 Peter Sacks,1 and Robert R. Alfano2

1Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York; 2Department of Physics and Electrical Engineering, City College of New York, New York, New York

Abstract
Native cellular fluorescence (NCF) represents the innate capacity of tissues to absorb and emit light of specified wavelengths. Recent advances in optical engineering and computer technology have provided the opportunity to measure NCF characteristics of various tissues in vivo. This report will briefly review the current status of NCF analysis of various neoplastic tissues. The status of investigations involving the upper aerodigestive tract will be discussed. Though initial results demonstrate that neoplastic tissues can be discriminated from normal mucosa by NCF analysis, the biologic basis of this difference remains uncertain. This report will also emphasize that the ability to screen for cancer in aerodigestive mucosa may be enhanced through the assessment of multiple emission and excitation wavelengths. The true nature of the cellular fluorophores responsible for these mucosal spectral characteristics should be more fully defined in coming years. -- Environ Health Perspect 105(Suppl 4):941-944 (1997)

Key words: native cellular fluorescence, screening, tobacco, head cancer, neck cancer

This paper is based on a presentation at the symposium on Mechanisms and Prevention of Environmentally Caused Cancers held 21-25 October 1995 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Manuscript received at EHP 16 April 1996; accepted 13 August 1996.

This research was supported in part by grants 47349-A from the Office of Naval Research and 49547-C from NASA, and by a gift from the Mediscience Technology Corporation.

Address correspondence to Dr. S.P. Schantz, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 1275 York Avenue, Room C973, New York, NY 10021. Telephone: (212) 639-6033. Fax: (212) 717-3302. E-mail: schantz@mskcc.org

Abbreviations used: EGF, epidermal growth factor; NADH, reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide. NCF, native cellular fluorescence; NMBA, N-nitrosomethyl benzylamine; NOE, normal oral epithelia.

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Last Update: June 23, 1997