Raman Spectra of Pigmented Skin Conditions

摘要

Melanoma is the most aggressive skin cancer and is invariably fatal if left untreated. Melanoma removal at early stages is almost always curative and therefore early detection is essential. Removal of every pigmented lesion is unacceptable for the patient, especially in the case of multiple skin lesions or lesions localized in cosmetically important parts of the body such as the face because of risk of scarring. The development of a technique to detect these changes in a noninvasive way is therefore crucial for melanoma detection. In this study, we have used FT-Raman Spectroscopy to investigate through PCA analysis the alterations in the molecular structure of 90 skin spectra, being 30 Pigmented Nevi, 30 Primary Melanoma, and 30 Metastasis, for 6 patients. For projection of data, the scores (Principal Components) PC1 to PC3 were calculated. PC1 versus PC3 for the 800 to 1800 cm~(-1) spectral region. PC1 versus PC2 for the 1200 to 1400 cm~(-1) spectral region. In both analysis, we could differentiate the three different types of tissues.