Diagnosis of Breast Cancer Using Optical Spectroscopy

Fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy have shown great promise in diagnosing cancer at a number of organ sites, including the cervix, bronchus, and colon. Recent research has also found that similar techniques, when applied to the breast, can provide fast, accurate diagnosis of breast cancer. An additional avenue of research has focused on investigating the biological basis of spectroscopic differences seen in tissue. This manuscript serves as a review of these recent studies, as well as providing an outline of future work yet to be accomplished to further the use of these techniques as a clinical tool.