Computer assisted optical screening of human ovarian cancer using Raman spectroscopy

Conventional screening tools for ovarian cancer such as cancer antigen (CA-125) and trans-pelvic ultrasound have poor sensitivity and specificity, indicating the need for better and more reliable screening methodologies. Here, we investigate the capability of Raman spectroscopy as a screening technique for ovarian cancer. Raman spectra from the blood serum of healthy control and ovarian cancer subjects were measured. Highly significant Raman shifts (p < 0.0001) and intensity variations were observed in the cancer group as compared to the healthy group. These spectral differences were exploited by support vector machine classifier towards computer assisted classification. Calculated evaluation metrics such as sensitivity (=90), specificity (=100), positive predictive value (=100) and negative predictive value (=87.5) for such classification indicated that these results are promising, with potential future application of Raman spectroscopy for ovarian cancer screening.