Abstract
Terahertz (THz) waves are electromagnetic waves with frequency in the range from 0.1 to 10 THz. THz waves have great potential in the biomedical field, especially in cancer diagnosis, because they exhibit low ionization energy and can be used to discern most biomolecules based on their spectral fingerprints. In this paper, we review the recent progress in two applications of THz waves in cancer diagnosis: imaging and spectroscopy. THz imaging is expected to help researchers and doctors attain a direct intuitive understanding of a cancerous area. THz spectroscopy is an efficient tool for component analysis of tissue samples to identify cancer biomarkers. Additionally, the advantages and disadvantages of the developed technologies for cancer diagnosis are discussed. Furthermore, auxiliary techniques that have been used to enhance the spectral signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) are also reviewed.
Highlights
The early diagnosis of cancer is very important for patient treatment and recovery
THz spectroscopy can be combined with various algorithms to realize the quantitative analysis of cancer biomarkers, which may be a potential tool for rapid cancer staging
Both THz imaging and spectroscopy are limited by source energy, leading to poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the spectral results
Summary
The early diagnosis of cancer is very important for patient treatment and recovery. If cancers can be confirmed and classified at an early stage, the patient survival rate can be greatly improved [1]. As THz waves are located between the microwave and infrared regions on the electromagnetic spectrum, they exhibit features of both regions: they are nonionizing, noninvasive, and phasesensitive to polar substances, can be used for spectral fingerprinting, and coherent detection, and offer good resolution (up to 50 μm) and penetration capabilities [9]. Based on these unique features, THz waves have potential applications in many fields [10,11,12,13,14,15]. Biomarker Contevsetntteicohnnaol lldoaegbtyoercattioorny chromatographymass (d) spectrometry Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay
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