Change in the microenvironment of breast cancer studied by FTIR imaging

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) imaging was applied on histopathological specimens of breast cancer of different tumor histological grades. Focus was given to the extracellular matrix. FTIR spectral changes were observed when examining the extracellular matrix close to and far from carcinoma. Major changes were observed, in particular in the relative intensities of the collagen bands at 1640 and 1630 cm−1. PCA analysis and global fitting indicate a continuous progression in collagen spectral features when moving away from the tumor. These preliminary results suggest FTIR spectral features present in the 1700–1600 cm−1 spectral range could be used as spectral markers to identify cancer-induced modifications in collagen. This chemical imaging approach to analyze the breast cancer microenvironment could be used in the future for improving diagnostics of breast cancer.