Establishing diagnostic features for identifying the mucosa and submucosa of normal and cancerous gastric tissues by multiphoton microscopy.

Background: Establishing diagnostic features is essential and significant for developing multiphoton endoscopy to make an early diagnosis of gastric cancer at the cellular level. Until now, these diagnostic features have not been clearly described and understood.

Design: Study of diagnostic features based on multiphoton microscopy (MPM).

Objective: Establishing diagnostic features to identify the mucosa and submucosa of human normal and cancerous gastric tissues by investigating their multiphoton microscopic images.

Setting: Fujian Normal University and Fujian Provincial Tumor Hospital.

Patients: Ten pairs of normal and cancerous specimens were obtained from 10 patients (ages 51-68 years) undergoing radical gastrectomy.

Interventions: MPM was performed on specimens.

Main Outcome Measurements: Establishment of diagnostic features.

Results: MPM has the ability to exhibit not only the mucosal and submucosal microstructures of normal and cancerous gastric tissues but also the distribution and content of abnormal cells in these 2 layers. More importantly, it can provide the diagnostic features to qualitatively and quantitatively differentiate between normal and cancerous gastric tissues.

Limitations: The selection bias and preparation of specimen.

Conclusions: These findings provide the groundwork for further establishing diagnostic criteria.