Diagnosis of Wilms' tumor using near-infrared Raman spectroscopy

PurposeRaman spectroscopy has distinguished malignant from normal tissues in several types of cancer. This is the first report of applying Raman spectroscopy to the diagnosis of Wilms' tumor.MethodsSpecimens of normal kidney, Wilms' tumor, xanthogranuloma, nephrogenic rests, and rhabdoid tumor were collected fresh from the operating room. Specimens of Wilms' tumor, normal kidney, and congenital mesoblastic nephroma were retrieved from the cryobank and thawed to room temperature. At least 12 Raman spectra were collected from each tissue sample. Histologic slides of each specimen were reviewed by pediatric pathologists. A computer algorithm based on discriminant function analysis (DFA) classified the Raman spectra of Wilms' tumor and the normal sample.ResultsFour hundred sixty-seven spectra were collected from 41 specimens. Using DFA, Raman spectroscopy differentiated Wilms' tumor from normal with 100% sensitivity and specificity and treated from untreated Wilms' tumor with 100% sensitivity and specificity. Using a DFA model built from cryopreserved specimens but applied to fresh Wilms' and normal samples, the sensitivity and specificity were 93.3% and 90.9%, respectively.ConclusionRaman spectroscopy is an accurate technique for differentiating Wilms' tumor from normal kidney and treated from untreated Wilms' tumor. It has potential to diagnose in minutes what currently takes several hours to days.