检测乳腺组织改变对于癌症诊断至关重要。然而,固有的二维限制了组织学程序识别这些变化的有效性。我们的研究应用了基于X射线相衬显微断层成像(PhCμCT)的3D虚拟组织学方法,在同步加速器设施执行,调查包括不同类型病变的乳腺组织样本,即导管内乳头状瘤,微乳头状囊内癌,和浸润性小叶癌.X射线和组织学图像的一对一比较探讨了3DX射线虚拟组织学的临床潜力。结果表明,PhCμCT技术具有较高的空间分辨率和软组织敏感性,虽然是非破坏性的,不需要专门的样品处理,并且与常规组织学兼容。PhCμCT可以增强基质组织等形态学特征的可视化,纤维血管核心,末端导管小叶单元,基质/上皮界面,基底膜,和脂肪细胞。尽管没有达到(亚)细胞水平,PhCμCT图像的三维性可以描述乳腺组织的深度变化,可能揭示单个组织学切片遗漏的病理相关细节。与连续切片相比,PhCμCT允许沿任何方向对样品体积进行虚拟调查,可能指导病理学家选择最合适的切割平面。总的来说,PhCμCT虚拟组织学作为增加传统组织学以提高效率的工具,具有很大的前景。可访问性,病理评价的诊断准确性。
Detecting breast tissue alterations is essential for cancer diagnosis. However, inherent bidimensionality limits histological procedures\' effectiveness in identifying these changes. Our study applies a 3D virtual histology method based on X-ray phase-contrast microtomography (PhC μ CT), performed at a synchrotron facility, to investigate breast tissue samples including different types of lesions, namely intraductal papilloma, micropapillary intracystic carcinoma, and invasive lobular carcinoma. One-to-one comparisons of X-ray and histological images explore the clinical potential of 3D X-ray virtual histology. Results show that PhC μ CT technique provides high spatial resolution and soft tissue sensitivity, while being non-destructive, not requiring a dedicated sample processing and being compatible with conventional histology. PhC μ CT can enhance the visualization of morphological characteristics such as stromal tissue, fibrovascular core, terminal duct lobular unit, stromal/epithelium interface, basement membrane, and adipocytes. Despite not reaching the (sub) cellular level, the three-dimensionality of PhC μ CT images allows to depict in-depth alterations of the breast tissues, potentially revealing pathologically relevant details missed by a single histological section. Compared to serial sectioning, PhC μ CT allows the virtual investigation of the sample volume along any orientation, possibly guiding the pathologist in the choice of the most suitable cutting plane. Overall, PhC μ CT virtual histology holds great promise as a tool adding to conventional histology for improving efficiency, accessibility, and diagnostic accuracy of pathological evaluation.