Abstract
Background: There is an ongoing research for breast cancer diagnostic tools that are cheaper, more accurate and more convenient than mammography. Methods: In this study, we employed surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) for analysing urine from n = 53 breast cancer patients and n = 22 controls, with the aim of discriminating between the two groups using multivariate data analysis techniques such as principal component analysis—linear discriminant analysis (PCA-LDA). The SERS spectra were acquired using silver nanoparticles synthesized by reduction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, which were additionally activated with Ca2+ 10−4 M. Results: The addition of Ca(NO3)2 10−4 M promoted the specific adsorption to the metal surface of the anionic purine metabolites such as uric acid, xanthine and hypoxanthine. Moreover, the SERS spectra of urine were acquired without any filtering or processing step for removing protein traces and other contaminants. Using PCA-LDA, the SERS spectra of urine from breast cancer patients were classified with a sensitivity of 81%, a specificity of 95% and an overall accuracy of 88%. Conclusion: The results of this preliminary study contribute to the translation of SERS in the clinical setting and highlight the potential of SERS as a novel screening strategy for breast cancer.
Highlights
Despite extensive improvement in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer, which is the most common cancer type in women with an incidence of around 30/1000 [1,2], advanced breast cancer is still accompanied by high mortality rates
We aimed to demonstrate the possibility to diagnose breast cancer based on the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of urine in the case of n = 53 patients with breast cancer and n = 22 controls
The results of this study suggest that SERS spectra of urine from patients with breast cancer display distinguishable features compared to controls, providing a strategy with potential application for breast cancer screening
Summary
Despite extensive improvement in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer, which is the most common cancer type in women with an incidence of around 30/1000 [1,2], advanced breast cancer is still accompanied by high mortality rates. Given the dismal prognostic of advanced forms of breast cancer, screening continues to be one of the most important strategies of improving the survival of breast cancer patients [4]. To this end, the guidelines issued by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) recommend biennial screening for all women aged 50 to 69 years using mammography [5]. There is ongoing research for simpler, quicker and more accurate strategies of diagnosing breast cancer. There is an ongoing research for breast cancer diagnostic tools that are cheaper, more accurate and more convenient than mammography. The SERS spectra were acquired using silver nanoparticles synthesized by reduction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, which were activated with Ca2+ 10−4 M
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