Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy: A New Modality for Cancer Imaging

Although surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy has traditionally been used as an in vitro analytic tool, in the past few years the first reports of the feasibility of in vivo imaging of cancer with biocompatible SERS probes have emerged. SERS imaging has great potential in the field of medical imaging because it offers several major advantages over other molecular imaging methods. Medical imaging using SERS nanoprobes can yield higher sensitivity and higher signal specificity than other imaging modalities, while also offering multiplexing capabilities that allow for unique applications. This article reviews the principles of SERS and highlights recent advances for in vivo cancer imaging. To present the abilities of this method as accurately as possible, the discussion is limited to studies in which the imaging data were confirmed by histological correlation.