A novel micro optical probe for early diagnosis of upper gastrointestinal (GI) cancers

In this paper, we present the development of a new micro fiber optical sensor probe with side viewing capability for early diagnosis of cancers in upper gastrointestinal tract. The probe consists of a oblique incidence source and a collection array of microfabricated curved SU-8 waveguides for collecting spatially resolved diffuse reflectance from tissue surface. The probe has been used to measure ex-vivo esophagus specimens to differentiate cancerous tissues from benign ones.