Alexander Ushenko

This book explores the early-stage detection of cancer using polarized light. It discusses the diverse properties of the light (temporal and spatial coherence, polarization, fluorescence, etc.) that can be used non-invasively as an optical technique for recognizing precancerous lesions, which could become a reliable and accurate method for cancer screening. The search for the effective means for cancer screening is of particular interest to scientific and medical communities, because cancer takes its toll around the globe with no respect for age or gender. Early detection of the disease is a key factor in increasing the survival rate and patients’ quality of life.

The Mueller-matrix model of generalized phase and amplitude anisotropy of polycrystalline networks of biological tissues of human organs is elaborated. The comparative investigations of the effectiveness of the developed technique of spatial-frequency Fourier polarimetry of complex degree of mutual anisotropy (CDMA) in the diagnostics of the oncological changes of prostate tissue are carried out. The criteria of differentiation between the benign (adenoma) and malignant (carcinoma) states of prostate tissue on the basis of the statistical (statistical moments of the 1st - 4th order) analyses of the spatial-frequency filtered distributions of CDMA of protein networks with linear and circular birefringence are determined.