Infrared Microspectroscopy of Oral Precancer: A Proof of Concept for the Rapid Screening and Early Detection
摘要
In Indian subcontinent, oral cancer, among the top three of all types of cancer, is a major health problem. Delayed clinical detection and diagnostic criteria results in the progression of the disease where it is untreatable. A highly promising and versatile method for analysis of oral cancer specimens is Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) which allows one to identify the chemical and molecular change of a tissue specimen. In this study, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections of normal, mild dysplasia and moderate dysplasia were analysed to understand the chemical changes during the different grades along with their epithelial layers of precancerous lesions (leucoplakia) of the oral cavity. The information obtained after preprocessing the spectra revealed chemical and structural changes in the protein and nucleic acid regions.