Label-free Optical Imaging-based Evaluation of Resected Head and Neck Tissues: Cellular and Extracellular Atypia Assessment

Saturday, October 17, 2026

9:54 AM - 10:00 AM PT

Location: West Exhibit Hall A, Learning Zone 3

Presenting Author(s)

Arun G. Rajan, B.S.

Medical Student
University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX, United States

Co-Author(s)

PV

Paula Villarreal, n/a

Ms.
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, United States
SQ

Suimin Qiu, MD, PhD

Professor
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, United States
Sepehr Shabani, M.D

Assistant Professor
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Duarte, California, United States
Viran J. Ranasinghe, MD

Assistant Professor
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, TX, United States
OC

Orly M. Coblens, MD

Associate Professor
The University of Texas Medical Branch
Galveston, Texas, United States

Senior Author(s)

GV

Gracie Vargas, PhD

Professor
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, United States

Disclosure(s):

Arun G. Rajan, B.S.:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Viran J. Ranasinghe, MD:

faculty for this accredited education activity has no relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Introduction: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is often detected at late stages, when 5-year survival rates are below 69%; with early detection, survival exceeds 80%. Diagnosis relies on histological identification of diverse cellular and extracellular atypia with associated epithelial and stromal changes. Multiphoton autofluorescence (MPAM) and second harmonic generation microscopy (SHGM) are emerging label-free imaging approaches that reveal cellular atypia and collagen remodeling of oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) and OSCC in preclinical studies. While MPAM has been applied in clinical samples, SHGM evaluation of intact human specimens remains limited. Here, we assess whether imaging of resected oral cancer specimens from the mucosal surface could identify and quantify both cellular atypia and collagen remodeling across several anatomical sites.

Methods: Samples from 51 head and neck resections were collected from tumor, transitional, and grossly normal regions and classified histologically as OSCC, OED, or benign epithelium. A total of 166 specimens from the larynx, floor of mouth, and tongue were imaged. Volumetric epithelial and collagen image stacks were analyzed for atypia metrics.

Results: MPAM-SHGM image stacks acquired from the mucosal surface provided high-resolution, volumetric visualization of cellular and collagen morphological organization. Qualitative atypia scores showed anisonucleosis/anisocytosis, overcrowding, and multinucleated cells in tumors and transition areas, which can harbor OED, versus normative features in benign sites. A parameter of anisonucleosis, coefficient of variance in nuclear area, was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in tumor and transition sites. Across all three anatomical regions, OSCC showed stepwise collagen volume reduction and epithelial volume increase from benign to OED to OSCC.

Conclusions: MPAM-SHGM can detect cellular and collagen atypia associated with oral neoplasia and image intact oral tissue to resolve optical markers of neoplastic transformation, providing a basis for future studies in early detection and pathological assessment.