Screening for Breast Cancer Using Near Field Infrared Spectroscopy of a Single Strand of Hair.

摘要

A recent Australian study has used synchrotron x-ray diffraction to identify changes in the structure of hair that may be linked to either the occurrence of breast cancer, or the increased predisposition to breast cancer because of the breast of a mutation of the BRCA1 gene. We would like to develop a new method for the screening of breast cancer based on infrared spectroscopy of a single strand of human hair. Our study will provide an independent test of the proposed link between hair structure and breast cancer. In addition it may also provide a detailed understanding of how deposits in hair are linked to the formation of breast cancer, at a molecular level. Synchrotron x-ray studies require the use of large accelerators. Our proposed instrument is a table-top device with the possible potential for rapid, non-invasive, safe and inexpensive screening. This work involves an interdisciplinary collaboration between physicists, epidemiologists, and oncologists at Boston University Center for Photonics, Dartmouth College, and Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center.