Cancers of the abdominal cavity comprise one of the most prevalent forms of cancers, with the highest contribution from colon and rectal cancers (12% of the human population), followed by stomach cancers (4%). Surgery, as the preferred choice of treatment, includes the selection of adequate resection margins to avoid local recurrences due to minimal residual disease. The presence of functionally vital structures can complicate the choice of resection margins. Spectral analysis of tissue samples in combination with chemometric models constitutes a promising approach for more efficient and precise tumour margin identification. Additionally, this technique provides a real-time tumour identification approach not only for intraoperative application but also during endoscopic diagnosis of tumours in hollow organs. The combination of near-infrared and mid-infrared spectroscopy has advantages compared to individual methods for the clinical implementation of this technique as a diagnostic tool.
Keywords: FTIR absorbance; cancer diagnostics; diffuse reflection; fibre probe; joint data analysis; mid-infrared spectroscopy; near-infrared spectroscopy; synergy effect.