Fluorescence Spectroscopy Applied to Microscopy and to Clinical Tumour Identification

Sammanfattning: Fluorescence spectroscopy has been applied to clinical tumour detection and to rmcroscopy. The fluorescence properties of biological tissue have been investigated within two clinical projects in order to discriminate tumours from normal surrounding tissue. Clinical studies have been performed on brain tumours in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery in Linkoping, and on urinary bladder tumours in collaboration with the Department of Urology in Leuven, Belgium. In both studies the endogenous tissue fluorescence as well as exogenous administered substances were investigated. While a good tumour demarcation for brain tumours was achieved only with the administration of tumour-seeking agents, it succeeded better for urinary bladder tumours, when using the tissue autofluorescence. With the motivation to localise and identify fluorophores of interest for tumour detection a confocal scanning laser microscope combined with a spectrometer has been used in collaboration with the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Another new technique within the field of scanning microscopy is the two-photon excited fluorescence microscope. It has been build up within the frame of this work and principle investigations have been performed on newsprint as well as on biological tissue. Fluorophores in various samples could be identified using time and spectrally resolved spectroscopy.