WCLC 2025 - Posters & ePosters-EP.02.05 Three-Dimensional Visualization of Spreading Tumor Cell Through Air Spaces (STAS) Using High Resolution Phase-Contrast Imaging Method

EP.02.05 Three-Dimensional Visualization of Spreading Tumor Cell Through Air Spaces (STAS) Using High Resolution Phase-Contrast Imaging Method

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This study presents a novel approach to visualizing Spreading Tumor Cells Through Air Spaces (STAS) in lung adenocarcinoma using advanced imaging techniques. STAS, characterized by detached tumor cell clusters beyond the main tumor margin, is a significant prognostic factor for lung cancer recurrence, yet current diagnostic methods rely on detailed pathological examination without direct imaging tools.<br /><br />Researchers employed synchrotron radiation phase-contrast tomography with analyzer-based optics at the Photon Factory in Tsukuba, Japan, using monochromatic 14KeV X-rays and high spatial resolution (1.55μm pixel size) to image formalin-fixed lung adenocarcinoma samples from a 65-year-old female patient. The 3D tomographic imaging allowed for segmentation and reconstruction of tumor structures within a field of view measuring 7.1mm by 4.4mm.<br /><br />Results demonstrated that this imaging modality could clearly distinguish malignant lesions from normal lung tissue and visualize STAS as floating tumor cell clusters and tumor islands connected by stalk-like structures to main tumor nests. These three-dimensional morphological details surpass the capabilities of conventional two-dimensional histopathology, providing enhanced clarity of tumor invasion patterns.<br /><br />The study concludes that synchrotron radiation phase-contrast tomography with analyzer-based optics offers sufficiently high resolution for three-dimensional visualization of STAS, potentially laying the groundwork for 3D virtual histopathology. This technique may become a novel imaging-based analytical tool, improving the understanding and diagnosis of invasive mechanisms in lung cancer beyond what standard pathology can achieve.

Asset Subtitle

Eunjue Yi

Meta Tag

Speaker Eunjue Yi

Topic Tumor Biology – Preclinical Biology

Keywords

Spreading Tumor Cells Through Air Spaces

STAS

lung adenocarcinoma

synchrotron radiation phase-contrast tomography

analyzer-based optics

3D tomographic imaging

tumor invasion patterns

high-resolution imaging

virtual histopathology

lung cancer diagnosis