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Updated: Jul 12, 2026
Surface-enhanced Resonance Raman Scattering Nanoprobe Ratiometry for Detecting Microscopic Ovarian Cancer via Folate Receptor Targeting
Published on: March 25, 2019
Infrared and Raman spectroscopy of blood plasma for rapid endometrial cancer detection
Roberta Schiemer1, Jessica Grant2, Mohamad N Shafiee3
1Division of Child Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. roberta.schiemer@nottingham.ac.uk.
Background:
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the 6th most common cancer among women worldwide. No effective non-invasive screening methods or approved blood biomarkers for EC exist. Previous research explored Attenuated Total Reflection-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FtIR) and Raman spectroscopies, using dried blood plasma. Fresh, 'wet', blood samples, that might provide faster results, have not been investigated. This study compared ATR-FtIR and Raman spectroscopies on 'wet' and dry blood plasma samples for EC detection. It also conducted a preliminary exploration into their diagnostic potential for EC in high-risk individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Methods:
'Wet' and dry blood plasma samples from participants with EC, PCOS and healthy controls were analysed using ATR-FtIR and Raman spectroscopies. Machine learning algorithms and multivariate statistical analyses assessed spectral variance across datasets to evaluate the techniques' diagnostic performance.
Results:
Raman analysis of 'wet' plasma achieved 82% accuracy in detecting EC, while ATR-FtIR spectroscopy reached 78%. When combined, diagnostic accuracy reached 86%. In comparison, dry plasma analysis with ATR-FtIR detected EC with 83% accuracy. Spectral similarities were found between EC and PCOS.
Conclusions:
Our study suggests that ATR-FtIR and Raman spectroscopies could revolutionise early diagnosis of EC. More research is required to validate these promising findings.
