Blood flow contrast between tumor and normal tissues in patients with malignant and benign
breast cancer was measured by diffuse optical correlation methods. The measurements
were carried out with a hand-held optical probe that was manually scanned over the tumor-
bearing breast. Increased blood flow was observed in tumor regions relative to healthy
tissue, and control subjects did not exhibit significant blood flow heterogeneity. The
measurements introduce a new optical contrast for diffuse optical mammography.