Raman Microscopy and Associated Techniques for Label-Free Imaging of Cancer Tissue

Raman spectroscopy can identify cancerous from healthy tissue, with a chemical analysis from the measurement of vibrational bond frequencies. However, to detect small tumors a form of Raman imaging is required. Such imaging—by acquiring a Raman spectrum at each imaging pixel—can detect tumors but is rather slow. Multiphoton versions of Raman—anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy and stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscopy—offer similar accuracies in identifying cancerous tissue and tumor margins but with a far higher speed, which is beneficial for diagnosis of small tumors in tissue. SRS microscopy can also be used to image extrinsic molecules in living cells, such as anti-cancer drugs at typical concentrations.