System and a method to distinguish between benign and malignant breast tumors

A method of determining a state of a tumor, the method comprising:

• operating a system to generate an ultrasound image and a photoacoustic image, wherein the system comprises:
• a probe configured to deliver a pulsed laser from a laser source to a sample, wherein the laser source is operable to generate the pulsed laser;
• arrays coupled to the probe, wherein one of the arrays, which is a linear array, comprises transducing elements arranged thereon which are operable at a frequency of 7 MHz to 10 MHz to transmit and collect ultrasound signals, and wherein one of the arrays, which is a linear array configured adjacent to a curved array, comprises dual-frequency transducing elements arranged thereon which are operable to collect photoacoustic signals, wherein the dual-frequency comprises a range of 2 MHz to 5 MHz and 7 MHz to 10 MHz;
• and
• a data acquisition module which converts the ultrasound signals and the photoacoustic signals into the ultrasound image and the photoacoustic image, respectively,
• identifying from the ultrasound image the presence or absence of an abnormal tissue or a lesion;
• identifying from the photoacoustic image the presence or absence of lipids and observing for a pattern and distribution of the lipids,
• identifying from the photoacoustic image the presence or absence of water and observing for a pattern and distribution of the water;
• identifying from the photoacoustic image the presence or absence of collagen and observing for a pattern and distribution of the collagen;
• identifying from the photoacoustic image the presence or absence of hemoglobin and observing for a pattern and distribution of the hemoglobin;
• and
• comparing from the photoacoustic image an intensity of the collagen, or collagen and hemoglobin with an intensity of tissue proximal to the collagen, or collagen and hemoglobin.

A system operable to generate an ultrasound image and a photoacoustic image, wherein the system comprises:

• a probe configured to deliver a pulsed laser from a laser source to a sample, wherein the laser source is operable to generate the pulsed laser;
• arrays coupled to the probe, wherein one of the arrays, which is a linear array, comprises transducing elements arranged thereon which are operable at a frequency of 7 MHz to 10 MHz to transmit and collect ultrasound signals, and wherein one of the arrays, which is a linear array configured adjacent to a curved array, comprises dual-frequency transducing elements arranged thereon which are operable to collect photoacoustic signals, wherein the dual-frequency comprises a range of 2 MHz to 5 MHz and 7 MHz to 10 MHz;
• and
• a data acquisition module which converts the ultrasound signals and the photoacoustic signals into the ultrasound image and the photoacoustic image, respectively.