Raman spectroscopy of serum: A study on pre' and post' breast adenocarcinoma resection in rat models

Risk of recurrence is a major problem in breast cancer management. Currently available prognostic markers have several disadvantages including low sensitivity and specificity, highlighting the need for new prognostic techniques. One of the candidate techniques is serum-based Raman spectroscopy (RS). In this study, feasibility of using RS to distinguish pre' from post' breast tumor resection serum in rats was explored. Spectral analysis suggests change in proteins and amino acid profiles in post' compared to pre-surgical' group. Principal-Component-Linear-Discriminant-Analysis shows 87% and 91% classification efficiency for pre' and post-surgical' groups respectively. Thus, the study further supports efficacy of RS for theranostic applications.