In this study, we applied a unique fiberoptic Raman spectroscopy probe to access the post-treatment NPC treatment efficacy follow-up and accurate recurrent NPC diagnosis. Significant Raman feature differences are discovered among normal, NPC, and non-recurring post-treatment patients. By incorporating with partial-least-squares linear-discriminant-analysis (PLS-LDA), the in vivo fingerprint and high-wavenumber tissue Raman spectra provide high diagnostic accuracy for detecting recurrent NPC from both early post-treatment inflammation and long-term post-treatment fibrosis. We further investigate the major biochemicals associated with NPC tissue compared to normal nasopharyngeal tissue through quantitative modeling. In this work, we demonstrate that fiberoptic Raman spectroscopy is an effective diagnostic modality for real-time, label-free post-treatment surveying and recurrent tumor detection in NPC patients.
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