Method of recognizing abnormal tissue using the detection of early increase in microvascular blood content

A method of providing an indication that living tissue of a body may be abnormal comprising the steps of:

• inserting an illumination probe such that a light source within the illumination probe is disposed in a location that is at a surface of an organ;
• illuminating, at the location, tissue of the organ and microvasculature therein with light from the light source that is emitted from the illumination probe, wherein the tissue that is illuminated with the light does not contain the living tissue that may be abnormal;
• detecting interacted light that results from the step of illuminating the tissue as detected data, wherein the interacted light is obtained substantially from the light that then interacts with blood in the microvasculature that is within the tissue of the organ, which tissue does not contain the living tissue that may be abnormal;
• estimating at least one of blood content and blood flow in the microvasculature using the detected data;
• and
• obtaining the indication that the living tissue may be abnormal using the at least one of estimated blood content and blood flow, the step of obtaining including the step of determining whether there exists an increase in the at least one of estimated blood content and blood flow in the microvasculature.