Raman spectroscopy can discriminate between normal, dysplastic and cancerous oral mucosa: a tissue-engineering approach.

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Squamous cell carcinoma, the primary cause of HNC, evolves from normal epithelium through dysplasia before invading the connective tissue to form a carcinoma. However, less than 18% of suspicious oral lesions progress to cancer, with diagnosis currently relying on histopathological evaluation, which is invasive and time consuming.

Raman spectroscopy detects melanoma and the tissue surrounding melanoma using tissue-engineered melanoma models.

Invasion of melanoma cells from the primary tumor involves interaction with adjacent tissues and extracellular matrix. The extent of this interaction is not fully understood. In this study Raman spectroscopy was applied to cryo-sections of established 3D models of melanoma in human skin.