The application of nematic liquid crystals for objective microscopic diagnosis of cancer 

Nematic liquid crystals (NLC) that were traditionally applied for detection of surface inhomogeneities in non-biological objects are proposed as an instrument for the objective microscopic diagnosis of malignancies in oncological practice. The specific alignment of NLCs on different types of tissue is exploited, a previously unknown phenomenon. Malignant tissue decorated with NLC due induces a homeotropic alignment while on benign tissues nematic materials are oriented close to planar mode. The relationship between this phenomenon and the di erent surface tension of malignant and nonmalignant tissues is revealed and the physical nature of these new phenomena is discussed.