Characterization of renal tumours based on Raman spectra classification

In this study, we propose to evaluate the potential of Raman spectroscopy (RS) to assess renal tumours at surgery. Different classes of Raman renal spectra acquired during a clinical protocol are discriminated using support vector machines classifiers. The influence on the classification scores of various preprocessing steps generally involved in RS are also investigated and evaluated in the particular context of renal tumour characterization. Encouraging results show the interest of RS to evaluate kidney cancer and suggest the potential of this technique as a surgical assistance during partial nephrectomy.

► We present a study for evaluating the capabilities of Raman spectra to help discriminating renal tumours. ► The influence of various preprocessing steps on classification results is investigated. ► Results obtained underline the potential benefits of this technique as a tool for assistance during partial nephrectomy.