Probing Field Cancerization in the Gastrointestinal Tract Using a Hybrid Raman and Partial Wave Spectroscopy Microscope

Field cancerization (FC) refers to spatially distributed premalignant tissue changes that lead to the appearance of local malignancy, and its detection can improve cancer screening. In this work, we employ combined Raman and partial wave spectroscopy (RS-PWS) to detect FC in gastroesophageal (L2-IL1B) and intestinal (Villin-Cre, Apcfl/wt) tumor mouse models. Using a hybrid RS-PWS microscope, we acquire both molecular and morphological information from macroscopically normal tumor-adjacent tissue and investigate the individual and combined performance of each modality. For data analysis, we use partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). In the normal tissue of L2-IL1B mice, we demonstrate a statistically significant increase (p p p fl/wt mice, the intensities of RS bands associated with amino acids increase significantly (p p R2 of RS results by ∼9% in L2-IL1B mice and ∼5% in Villin-Cre, Apcfl/wt mice. Combining molecular RS with structural PWS information enhances the ability to detect precancerous changes and provides insights into tissue alterations during cancer development.