Evaluating UV-vis spectral absorption indices as non-invasive biomarkers for gastrointestinal cancers

Cancer is characterized by complex molecular and cellular changes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth, Gastrointestinal cancers are among the most dangerous cancers. Ultraviolet spectroscopy (SCINCO Mega-2100 ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer) is among the technologies that have recently emerged and developed as effective and non-invasive tools. These technologies rely on the absorption or emission of light. Serum samples from 42 patients with a gastrointestinal cancer (19 females and 23 males) and 26 controls (16 females and 10 males) were measured using. Since the distribution was not normal, the Mann-Whitney U statistic was used to measure the mean, standard deviation, and P-value. It was found that five indicators had statistically significant and very large effects on serum uptake ratios (R4, R5, R6, R7, and R10) for both genders, in relation to gastrointestinal cancers and control groups. These indices reflect a marked increase in oxidative stress products and changes in protein composition in patients' blood, leading to increased absorption at specific wavelengths. The other indices (R1, R3, R8, and R9) did not show a statistically significant difference between the gender and are therefore unsuitable as optical biomarkers. While R2 showed a difference between the genders, as it was not statistically significant in females, unlike in males. These optical biomarkers can be considered powerful for distinguishing between controls and cancer patients. The first study of these wavelength ratios in blood serum samples was conducted. The study highlighted the potential of ultraviolet and visible spectral absorption indices as non-invasive biomarkers for detecting gastrointestinal cancer.