title: Advances in the clinical application of Raman spectroscopy for cancer diagnostics.
abstract: Light interacts with tissue in a number of ways including, elastic and inelastic scattering, reflection and absorption, leading to fluorescence and phosphorescence. These interactions can be used to measure abnormal changes in tissue. Initial optical biopsy systems have potential to be used as an adjunct to current investigative techniques to improve the targeting of blind biopsy. Future prospects with molecular-specific techniques may enable objective optical detection providing a real-time, highly sensitive and specific measurement of the histological state of the tissue. Raman spectroscopy has the potential to identify markers associated with malignant change and could be used as diagnostic tool for the early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions in vivo. The clinical requirements for an objective, non-invasive, real-time probe for the accurate and repeatable measurement of pathological state of the tissue are overwhelming. This paper discusses some of the recent advances in the field.
authors.affiliation: Biophotonics Research Unit, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Great Western Road, Gloucester GL1 3NN, UK.
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kallaway
authors.forename: L Max
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.forename: Hugh
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Barr
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stone
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D013059:Spectrum Analysis, Raman / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Breast; Cancer; Colon; Diagnosis; Multivariate analysis; Oesophagus; Optical; Raman probe; Raman spectroscopy; Urology