Imaging of early stage breast cancer with circularly polarized light

In this study, we utilize the properties of polarized light for the analysis of paraffin-embedded breast cancer samples. We perform the measurements of the full Stokes vector of back-reflected radiation and calculate the degree of polarization as a diagnostic criterion for the separation of healthy and cancer sample sections. We show that circularly polarized light scattered within the breast sample is sensitive to the presence of cancer cells. The degree of the polarization of the reflected light was found to be the most sensitive parameter for the reliable differentiation of tissue. We show that circularly polarized light scattered within the breast sample is sensitive to the presence of cancer cells. The highest contrast between cancerous and normal regions was observed for the probing wavelength of 450 nm. The degree of the polarization of the reflected light was found to be the most sensitive parameter. Mapping the Stokes vectors of backscattered light on a Poincaré sphere helps to highlight the changes of polarization state.