Classification of skin cancer using convolutional neural networks analysis of Raman spectra

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy in whites accounting for about one third of all cancers diagnosed per year. Portable Raman spectroscopy setups for skin cancer "optical biopsy" are utilized to detect tumors based on their spectral features caused by the comparative presence of different chemical components. However, low signal-to-noise ratio in such systems may prevent accurate tumors classification. Thus, there is a challenge to develop methods for efficient skin tumors classification.

We compare the performance of convolutional neural networks and the projection on latent structures with discriminant analysis for discriminating skin cancer using the analysis of Raman spectra with a high autofluorescence background stimulated by a 785 nm laser. We have registered the spectra of 617 cases of skin neoplasms (615 patients, 70 melanomas, 122 basal cell carcinomas, 12 squamous cell carcinomas and 413 benign tumors) in vivo with a portable Raman setup and created classification models both for convolutional neural networks and projection on latent structures approaches. To check the classification models stability, a 10-fold cross-validation was performed for all created models. To avoid models overfitting, the data was divided into a training set (80% of spectral dataset) and a test set (20% of spectral dataset).

The results for different classification tasks demonstrate that the convolutional neural networks significantly (p<0.01) outperforms the projection on latent structures. For the convolutional neural networks implementation we obtained ROC AUCs of 0.96 (0.94 - 0.97; 95% CI), 0.90 (0.85-0.94; 95% CI), and 0.92 (0.87 - 0.97; 95% CI) for classifying a) malignant vs benign tumors, b) melanomas vs pigmented tumors and c) melanomas vs seborrheic keratosis respectively.

The performance of the convolutional neural networks classification of skin tumors based on Raman spectra analysis is higher or comparable to the accuracy provided by trained dermatologists. The increased accuracy with the convolutional neural networks implementation is due to a more precise accounting of low intensity Raman bands in the intense autofluorescence background. The achieved high performance of skin tumors classifications with convolutional neural networks analysis opens a possibility for wide implementation of Raman setups in clinical setting.