Browsing by Author "Cornford, Eleanor"

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    Breast calcification micromorphology classification
    (British Institute of Radiology, 2022-07-25) Robert Scott, Robert Scott; Iain Lyburn, Iain Lyburn; Cornford, Eleanor; Bouzy, Pascaline; Stone, Nicholas; Greenwood, Charlene; Bouybayoune, Ihsanne; Pinder, Sarah; Rogers, Keith
    Objectives: The importance of consistent terminology in describing the appearance of breast calcifications in mammography is well recognised. Imaging of calcifications using electron microscopy is a globally growing field of research. We therefore suggest that the time is ripe to develop a lexicon of terms for classifying the micromorphology of breast calcifications. Methods: Calcifications within a wide range of histological sections of breast tissue, both benign and malignant, were imaged by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). These images were examined, and the micromorphology of calcifications present was grouped to create a classification system. Results: Based on the appearance of the calcifications observed, we propose five main categories for classification of the micromorphology of breast calcifications, namely Dense Homogenous, Punctulate, Banded, Spongy, and Aggregate. Conclusions: Use of the descriptive categories outlined here will help to ensure consistency and comparability of published observations on the micromorphology of breast calcifications. Advances in knowledge: This is the first time a lexicon and classification system has been proposed for the micromorphology of breast calcifications, as observed by scanning electron microscopy of histological sections. This will facilitate comparability of observed relationships between micromorphology, mammographic appearance, chemistry, and pathology.
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    Exploration of utility of combined optical photothermal infrared and Raman imaging for investigating the chemical composition of microcalcifications in breast cancer
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023-02-21) Bouzy, Pascaline; Lyburn, Iain Douglas; Pinder, Sarah E.; Scott, Robert; Mansfield, Jessica; Moger, Julian; Greenwood, Charlene; Bouybayoune, Ihssane; Cornford, Eleanor; Rogers, Keith; Stone, Nick
    Microcalcifications play an important role in cancer detection. They are evaluated by their radiological and histological characteristics but it is challenging to find a link between their morphology, their composition and the nature of a specific type of breast lesion. Whilst there are some mammographic features that are either typically benign or typically malignant often the appearances are indeterminate. Here, we explore a large range of vibrational spectroscopic and multiphoton imaging techniques in order to gain more information about the composition of the microcalcifications. For the first time, we validated the presence of carbonate ions in the microcalcifications by O-PTIR and Raman spectroscopy at the same time, the same location and the same high resolution (0.5 μm). Furthermore, the use of multiphoton imaging allowed us to create stimulated Raman histology (SRH) images which mimic histological images with all chemical information. In conclusion, we established a protocol for efficiently analysing the microcalcifications by iteratively refining the area of interest.
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    Translating microcalcification biomarker information into the laboratory: a preliminary assessment utilizing core biopsies obtained from sites of mammographic calcification
    (Elsevier, 2024-03-12) Lyburn, Iain D.; Scott, Robert; Cornford, Eleanor; Bouzy, Pascaline; Stone, Nicholas; Greenwood, Charlene; Bouybayoune, Ihsanne; Pinder, Sarah E.; Rogers, Keith
    The potential of breast microcalcification chemistry to provide clinically valuable intelligence is being increasingly studied. However, acquisition of crystallographic details has, to date, been limited to high brightness, synchrotron radiation sources. This study, for the first time, evaluates a laboratory-based system that interrogates histological sections containing microcalcifications. The principal objective was to determine the measurement precision of the laboratory system and assess whether this was sufficient to provide potentially clinical valuable information. Materials and methods Sections from 5 histological specimens from breast core biopsies obtained to evaluate mammographic calcification were examined using a synchrotron source and a laboratory-based instrument. The samples were chosen to represent a significant proportion of the known breast tissue, mineralogical landscape. Data were subsequently analysed using conventional methods and microcalcification characteristics such as crystallographic phase, chemical deviation from ideal stoichiometry and microstructure were determined. Results The crystallographic phase of each microcalcification (e.g., hydroxyapatite, whitlockite) was easily determined from the laboratory derived data even when a mixed phase was apparent. Lattice parameter values from the laboratory experiments agreed well with the corresponding synchrotron values and, critically, were determined to precisions that were significantly greater than required for potential clinical exploitation. Conclusion It has been shown that crystallographic characteristics of microcalcifications can be determined in the laboratory with sufficient precision to have potential clinical value. The work will thus enable exploitation acceleration of these latent microcalcification features as current dependence upon access to limited synchrotron resources is minimized.