Circularly polarized light scattering imaging of a cancerous layer creeping under a healthy layer for the diagnosis of early-stage cervical cancer

Sep 22, 2026

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Circularly polarized light scattering (CiPLS) enables identification of cancerous tissue beneath seemingly healthy tissue by probing how circular polarization changes with penetration depth. Cervical cancer progression through precursor lesions (CIN) makes low-grade cases difficult to diagnose cytologically because atypical cells lie hidden beneath the surface. The study prepared layered healthy/cancerous/healthy tissue with controlled thicknesses, then used polarization imaging with a quarter-wave plate to map circular polarization distributions. Significant polarization changes reflected the depth of the cancerous layer, supporting noninvasive optical diagnosis for early-stage cervical cancer.

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Abstract

1 Introduction

RESEARCH PAPER Circularly polarized light scattering imaging of a cancerous layer creeping under a healthy layer for the diagnosis of early-stage cervical cancer Nozomi Nishizawa ,a,* Mahiro Ishikawa,a Mike Raj Maskey,a Asato Esumi,a Toshihide Matsumoto,b and Takahiro Kuchimaruc aKitasato University, School of Science, Department of Physics, Kanagawa, Japan bKitasato University, School of Allied Health Sciences, Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Kanagawa, Japan cJichi Medical University, Center for Molecular Medicine, Division of Bioconvergence, Tochigi, Japan | ABSTRACT. Significance: Cervical cancer progresses through cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), which are precursor lesions of cervical cancer. In low-grade CIN, atypical cells are generated inside the squamous epithelium, which causes the accuracy of cytodiagnosis for cervical cancer not to be very high. The grade of CIN can be estimated by the depth of atypical cell infiltration from the basal layer to the surface, rather than the abnormality of cells. Therefore, a noninvasive method is required to evaluate the depths of abnormal cells hidden at depth.
Aim: Cancerous tissues beneath healthy tissues were experimentally identified using circularly polarized light scattering (CiPLS) . This method enabled the changes in the size of the cell nuclei within the penetration depth in tissue to be investigated.
Approach: Artificial unexposed cancerous tissues were prepared that consisted of healthy/cancerous/healthy layers with various thicknesses of the topmost healthy layer and the cancerous layer. A polarization imaging camera with a quarter-wave plate was used to create distribution images of the circular polarization of the scattered light.
Results: CiPLS images indicated that the thickness variation of the top healthy layer (the depth of the cancerous layer) caused significant changes in the degree of circular polarization.
Conclusions: The depth of unexposed cancer lying within the optical penetration depth can be evaluated using a circular polarization imaging system based on the CiPLS method. These findings will lead to the development of a noninvasive optical diagnostic method for early-stage cervical cancer, potentially improving early detection and treatment outcomes.
© The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI. [DOI: 10.1117/1.JBO.31.2.027002]
Keywords: cervix caner; circularly polarized light; unexposed cancer; polarization; cancer imaging; light scattering
Paper 250279GRRR received Sep. 4, 2025; revised Jan. 13, 2026; accepted Jan. 19, 2026; published Feb.
6, 2026 . | | --- | | 1 Introduction
Cervical cancer has both high morbidity and mortality; more than 600,000 women are diagnosed, and more than 300,000 die every year worldwide, 1,2 making cervical cancer the fourth most | *Address all correspondence to Nozomi Nishizawa, [nishizawa.nozomi@kitasato-u.ac.jp](nishizawa.nozomi@kitasato-u.ac.jp) Journal of Biomedical Optics 027002-1 February 2026 • Vol. 31(2) Nishizawa et al.: Circularly polarized light scattering imaging of a cancerous layer. . . frequent cancer among women globally.3 Approximately 95% or more of cervical cancers are caused by sustained infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) in the uterine cervix. These infections progress through cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) or adenocarcinoma in situ (AIN), precursor lesions of cervical cancer, to invasive cervical cancer.4 The uterine cervix consists of two distinct epithelia: the columnar epithelium of the endocervix and the squamous epithelium of the ectocervix, which are joined at the squamocolumnar junction (SCJ) [Fig. 1(a)] . In the squamous epithelium near the SCJ, where cell proliferation is rapid, sustained HPV infection causes the generatio

FAQs

Why is early-stage cervical cancer difficult to diagnose with cytodiagnosis?

Low-grade CIN can generate atypical cells inside the squamous epithelium, so collected cells may not come from the most advanced spread area. This reduces cytodiagnosis accuracy for low-grade cases.

What is the core idea of the CiPLS method in this study?

The method uses circular polarization imaging of scattered light to infer changes caused by hidden cancerous tissue within the optical penetration depth.

How were experiments designed to evaluate tissue depth effects?

Artificial layered healthy/cancerous/healthy tissues were prepared with varying thicknesses of the topmost healthy layer and the cancerous layer. A polarization imaging camera with a quarter-wave plate recorded circular polarization distribution images.

Sep 22, 2026

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