M. Hunter, V. Backman, G. Popescu, M. Kalashnikov, C. W. Boone, A. Wax, G. Venkatesh, K. Badizadegan, G. D. Stoner and M. S. Feld, Tissue Self-Affinity and Light Scattering in the Born Approximation: A New Model for Precancer Diagnosis, Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 138102 (2006).
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Light scattered from biological tissues can exhibit an inverse power law spectral component. We develop a model based on the Born approximation and von Karman (self-affine) spatial correlation of submicron tissue refractive index to account for this. The model is applied to light scattering spectra obtained from excised esophagi of normal and carcinogen-treated rats. Power law exponents used to fit dysplastic tissue site spectra are significantly smaller than those from normal sites, indicating that changes in tissue self-affinity can serve as a potential biomarker for precancer.
