Raman spectroscopy for tumor diagnosis in mammary tissue

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the potential of Raman spectroscopy in the ex-vivo analysis of resected normal and tumor mammary mouse glands, using a commercial confocal Raman microscope. The Raman spectra were acquired with a 785 nm excitation laser at 40 mW and using an integration time of 2 s. The Raman spectra for normal and tumor mouse mammary glands are presented and compared with literature results. The Raman spectrum of normal mammary mouse gland is dominated by lipid signatures. On the other hand, the Raman spectrum of tumor mammary gland is dominated by DNA and protein signatures. The molecular information obtained by using Raman spectroscopy can be fundamental for a more precise and complete diagnosis of tumors, for intraoperative assessment of tumors margins during surgeries and for tumors grade classification.