Method for determining if a tissue is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a normal or benign tissue using Raman spectroscopy

A method of determining if a tissue is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a benign or normal tissue, comprising the steps of:

• a) irradiating the tissue with a beam of infrared monochromatic light;
• b) measuring the number of Raman bands produced thereby in the Raman spectral region from 700 to 1900 cm.sup.-1 ;
• and
• c) comparing said number of Raman bands measured with the number of Raman bands correspondingly measured from known samples of malignant tumor tissue, benign tumor tissue, and benign or normal tissue for the same type of tissue being tested.

A method for use in determining if a tissue of human breast is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a normal or benign tissue comprising the steps of:

• a) irradiating the tissue with a beam of infrared monochromatic light producing thereby an infrared Raman spectrum having a first band at 1445.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 and a second band at a wavenumber selected from the group consisting of 1651.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 ;
• b) measuring the intensity of said first and second Raman bands so produced;
• c) calculating the ratio of said intensities;
• and
• d) comparing said ratio to the ratio correspondingly obtained for the same two Raman bands from known samples of malignant human breast tumor tissue, benign human breast tumor tissue, and normal or benign human breast tissue.

An apparatus for use in determining if a tissue is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a normal or benign tissue comprises:

• a) means for producing an infrared monochromatic beam of light;
• b) an endoscope comprising means for transmitting the infrared monochromatic beam of light to the tissue and means for collecting the Raman scattered light from the tissue;
• c) means, coupled to said collecting means, for producing a Raman spectrum for the tissue;
• d) means for comparing the Raman spectrum for the tissue being tested to standard Raman spectra for malignant tumor tissue, benign tumor tissue, and normal or benign tissue for the same type of tissue being tested;
• and
• e) means for displaying the result of the comparison.

An apparatus for determining if human breast tissue is malignant tumor tissue, benign tumor tissue, or normal or benign tissue comprising:

• a) means for producing an infrared monochromatic beam of light;
• b) an endoscope comprising means for transmitting the infrared monochromatic beam of light to the human breast tissue and means for collecting the Raman scattered light from the human breast tissue;
• c) means, coupled to said collecting means, for detecting the presence of Raman bands at a Raman shift of about 1078, 1240, and 1300 cm.sup.-1 ;
• and
• d) means for indicating that the human breast tissue is malignant tumor tissue if no Raman bands are detected at a Raman shift of about 1078, 1240, and 1300 cm.sup.-1, is benign tumor tissue if a Raman band is detected at a Raman shift of about 1240 cm.sup.-1 but not at a Raman shift of about 1078 and 1300 cm.sup.-1, and is normal or benign tissue if Raman bands are detected at a Raman shift of about 1078 and 1300 cm.sup.-1 but not at a Raman shift of 1240 cm.sup.-1.

An apparatus for use in determining if a human breast tissue is a malignant human breast tumor breast tumor tissue, a benign human breast tumor tissue, or a normal or benign human breast tissue comprising:

• a) means for producing an infrared monochromatic beam of light;
• b) an endoscope comprising means for transmitting the infrared monochromatic beam of light to the human breast tissue and means for collecting the Raman scattered light from the human breast tissue said Raman scattered light including a first band at 1445.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 and a second band at a wavenumber selected from the group consisting of 1651.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 and 1659.+-.4 cm.sup.-1 ;
• c) means, coupled to said collecting means, for detecting the intensity of light at said first and said second bands;
• d) means for calculating the ratio of said intensities;
• e) means for comparing said ratio to ratios correspondingly obtained from known samples of malignant human breast tumor tissue, benign human breast tumor tissue, and normal or benign human breast tissue;
• and
• f) means for displaying the result of the comparison.

An apparatus for use in determining if a tissue is a malignant tumor tissue, a benign tumor tissue, or a normal or benign tissue comprising:

• a) means for producing a beam of infrared monochromatic light;
• b) an endoscope comprising means for transmitting the infrared monochromatic beam of light to the tissue and means for collecting the Raman scattered light from the tissue over the spectral region from about 700 to 1900 cm.sup.-1 ;
• c) means, coupled to said collecting means, for measuring the number of Raman bands present in the Raman scattered light;
• d) means for comparing the number of Raman bands present in the Raman scattered light with standards obtained from known samples of malignant tumor tissue, benign tumor tissue, and normal or benign tissue for the same type of tissue being tested;
• and
• e) means for displaying the result of the comparison.