Inflammatory bowel diseases as an intermediate stage between normal and cancer: a FTIR-microspectroscopy approach.

Elucidation of the evolution of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to cancer by clinical symptoms and histopathology of biopsies is important. Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR-MSP) has shown promise as a diagnostic tool for distinction of normal and cancer cells and tissues. In the present work, FTIR-MSP is used to evaluate IBD cases and to study the IR spectral characteristic with respect to cancer and normal tissues from formalin-fixed colonic biopsies from patients.

Detection of abnormal proliferation in histologically 'normal' colonic biopsies using FTIR-microspectroscopy.

Background: Abnormal crypt proliferation and development in the colon has been associated with premalignant stages of colon cancer. Conventionally, molecular markers are used to detect abnormal crypt proliferation.

Methods: In the present work, feasibility studies of FTIR-MSP to distinguish between normal and abnormal crypts from colon biopsies that show normal histopathological features have been undertaken.