Comparative spectral analysis of blood and saliva in breast cancer, benign breast disease and healthy controls using ATR-FTIR

Breast cancer (BC) ranks among the most prevalent tumors affecting women. This research explores the ability of Attenuated Total Reflection Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) to identify different biochemical elements found in bodily fluids such as serum and saliva from individuals with BC, individuals with benign breast disease (BBD), and healthy individuals. A cross-sectional analysis was performed on samples from 73 participants, comprising 31 with BC, 18 with BBD, and 24 healthy subjects, to examine biochemical differences across the groups. The findings indicated that the levels of the biochemical elements nucleic acids, proteins, lipids and glycogen significantly differed among the fluids. Specifically, the wavenumber of 2930 cm− 1 in saliva was capable of statistically differentiating BC patients from BBD patients and healthy controls. In the serum samples, a significant difference was observed at 1295 cm− 1 (p = 0.0014). However, serum collection has some disadvantages such as invasiveness and the need for trained personnel. Wavenumbers in saliva have emerged as potential breast cancer biomarkers, suggesting that this approach could serve as a valuable, noninvasive method and readily available option for breast cancer screening. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy has the potential to pave the way for the investigation of more efficient and less invasive clinical diagnostic methods.