Digestive tract tumors account for 15% and 19.3% of the cancer incidence and deaths, respectively. Early detection of digestive tract tumors is crucial to the reduction of global cancer burden. Two-photon excitation fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (TP-FLIM) allows noninvasive, label-free, three-dimensional, high-resolution imaging of living tissues with not only histological but also biochemical characterization ability in both qualitative and quantitative way. Benefiting from these advantages, this technology is promising for clinical diagnosis of digestive tract tumors. In recent years, many efforts have been made in this field and some remarkable progress has been achieved. In this paper, we overview the recent progress of TPFLIM-based researches on digestive tract tumor detection. Among them, our latest results on the gastric cancer and esophageal cancer are elaborately depicted. Finally, we outlook and discuss the potential advantages and challenges of TP-FLIM in future clinical applications.

双光子荧光寿命成像技术在对生物组织进行高分辨三维成像的同时能获得生物组织的生化特性信息，实现结构和功能的精细定量表征，为生物组织的非侵入、无标记、活体成像提供了一种强有力的工具。该技术在肿瘤检测方面具有广阔的临床应用前景，已成为当前生物医学领域研究的热点之一。首先简要介绍了双光子荧光寿命的概念和常用检测方法；其次，结合课题组开展的胃癌和神经胶质瘤诊断等相关研究成果，详细介绍了双光子荧光寿命成像技术在消化道肿瘤、脑肿瘤及皮肤癌等肿瘤检测方面的最新研究进展；最后展望了该技术在未来临床应用中的潜在优势和可能面临的挑战。