Assessment of therapeutic effect for breast cancer using fluorescence and raman spectroscopic characterization of blood plasma

Abstract

Carcinogenesis is an intricate process which involves multiple mutations and differentiation of the cells during formation and spread of the disease. Among various cancers, breast cancer ranks high and is also the commonest cause of cancer-related transience in women. Though the rapidly growing array of chemotherapeutic agents and evolving sophisticated Radiotherapy techniques have produced significant progress in the field of oncology and have dramatically improved cancer survival rates, the choice of treatment (combination of chemo and immune drugs / radiotherapy technique) best suited for the patient remains a challenge to the oncologists, as the response to treatment varies with the individual. Hence efforts have to be made to devise strategies for personalized care and tailored cancer management, based on the individual response which is the key to better survival. Currently,biochemical assays and sophisticated imaging modalities are being used for screening of the disease and also for the assessment of treatment response in the management of cancer patients. However, these techniques have their own limitations. Although, the histopathological assessment is considered as the golden standard, it is subjective and time consuming. Under these circumstances, molecular diagnostics using various optical spectroscopic techniques based on tissues and cell lines, such as fluorescence and Raman spectroscopic techniques have been considered in diagnostic oncology to discriminate the diseased state as well as to monitor the therapeutic response due to various treatment modalities However, only limited literatures are available on the use of biofluids, newline