FTIR spectroscopic characterization of freshly removed breast cancer tissues

OBJECTIVE: To identify the FTIR spectroscopic characterization of breast cancer and explore the possibility of application of FTIR in differentiation of malignant and benign breast lesions. METHODS: FTIR spectra of surgically removed fresh breast tissues were measured by spectrometer equipped with mid-infrared fiber optics and an ATR probe. Peaks in the spectra were measured and relative intensity ratios were calculated and analyzed if there are significant differences between the spectra of malignant and benign breast lesions. RESULTS: There were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the spectra of malignant breast cancers and benign breast tissues in the relative intensity ratios of different peaks (I1640/ I1550 and I1160/I1120 for protein structures; I1640/I1460 and I1550/I1460 for relative content of protein and lipid; I1460/I1400 for lipid structures; I1310/I1240 for nucleic acid). CONCLUSION: FTIR spectroscopy could be a useful tool in clinical diagnosis of breast cancer.