Comparison of connective tissue invaded by Lewis Lung Carcinoma to healthy connective tissue by means of micro-raman spectroscopy

It has been found that tissue invaded by cancerous cells gives rise to notable changes in the macro-Raman spectrum as compared to healthy tissue. To gain further insight, studies of the micro-Raman spectrum of connective tissue injected with Lewis Lung Carcinoma were undertaken. Raman images on the order of tens of microns were taken for the invaded connective tissue and a controlled connective tissue sample, with results showing increased nucleic acid and fatty acid/lipid concentrations in the invaded tissue sample, as well as lower collagen concentrations. The Raman images suggested a much higher cell density in the invaded connective tissue. A categorical principle component analysis was undertaken on Raman spectra sampled over one hundred µm2 areas, to ascertain if one could use this method to classify a given tissue sample as cancerous. The results show a separation between the majority of cancerous tissue spectra as compared to the control tissue.