Application of near-infrared spectroscopy for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer in resected human tissue specimens

We have investigated the application of near-infrared spectroscopy for the detection of human colorectal cancer. Cancer and normal tissue spectra were collected from a total of 50 surgically resected colorectal patient tissue specimens using a fibre-optic probe. Major spectral differences were observed in the CH stretching first and second overtone regions. Using hierarchical cluster analysis the spectra were classified into cancer and normal tissue groups with an accuracy of 96.9%. The sensitivity and specificity was 100 and 94%, respectively. Our findings suggest that NIR spectroscopy is an efficient tool for the detection of colorectal cancer. Furthermore, CH stretching overtone regions can serve as diagnostic marker region for colorectal cancer.