Imaging the elemental distribution within human malignant melanomas using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

Abstract

The diagnosis of malignant melanoma, often an inconspicuous but highly aggressive tumor, is most commonly done by histological examination, while additional diagnostic methods on the level of elements and molecules are constantly being developed. Several studies confirmed differences in the chemical composition of healthy and tumor tissue. Our study presents the potential of the LIBS (Laser-Induced-Breakdown Spectroscopy) technique as a diagnostic tool in malignant melanoma (MM) based on the quantitative changes in elemental composition in cancerous tissue. Our patient group included 17 samples of various types of malignant melanoma and one sample of healthy skin tissue as a control. To achieve a clear perception of results, we have selected two biogenic elements (calcium and magnesium), which showed a dissimilar distribution in cancerous tissue from its healthy surroundings. Moreover, we observed indications of different concentrations of these elements in different subtypes of malignant melanoma, a hypothesis that requires confirmation in a more extensive sample set. The information provided by the LIBS Imaging method could potentially be helpful not only in the diagnostics of tumor tissue but also be beneficial in broadening the knowledge about the tumor itself.