Raman spectroscopy in neurosurgery – assinstance in decision making of tumor boarders and tumor grade

Malignant brain tumors constitute 1,7 percent of all cancer with 50 000 cases reported annually in northern Europe. Malignant brain tumors are characterized by diffuse infiltration into normal tissue.

This transition zone is impossible to demarcate during surgery with available microscopic techniques making a radical removal of neoplasms difficult.

The extent of removal is the single most important factor for survival; the one year survival rate doubles for cases with macroscopically complete resections.

Raman spectroscopy has the sensitivity and the potential to help neurosurgeons to define cancer cell gradients reaching out of the brain cancer mass but has not yet reached the clinic setting.

The cross-disciplinary collaboration between physicists, biomedical engineers, neurosurgeons and neuropathologists gives the unique opportunity to introduce Raman spectroscopy in neurosurgery.

Raman spectroscopy will be implemented in combination with the presently used optical-, and navigation techniques during surgery.

The goals are to increase knowledge of the Raman data from brain tumors coupled to neuropathology, to develop a calibration tool, data mining methods and a software that provides direct decision making and brain tissue classification.

We foresee a valuable novel tool for neurosurgeons that will complement their toolbox for radical removal of neoplasms without interfering with the current surgical workflow.