Raman spectroscopy study of breast disease

The aim of this study was to evaluate the vibrational modes of malignant and benign breast tissues with the following diagnosis: fibroadenoma, invasive ductal carcinoma, ductal carcinoma in situ, and fibrocystic condition. Quadratic discriminate analysis, a multivariate statistical method of analysis, showed 98.5% separation between normal and altered tissue. Significant changes were observed at the lower Raman shift for altered tissue. For a better understanding of the spectral differences, a biochemical interpretation was also performed in terms of the reduction and oxidation processes in the cell environment which could be associated with an inflammatory reaction.