Medical Diagnosis by Infrared Spectral Cytopathology (SCP)

Over the past 5 years, more than a quarter million infrared spectra of individual exfoliated human cells have been collected. The origin of these cells was the urinary tract, the cervix, the esophagus and the oral and nasopharyngeal cavities. The overall aim of this research was to establish SCP as a more accurate and reliable method for medical diagnosis of exfoliated cells and as an early indicator of disease, especially cancer. In particular, the influence of factors such as cell morphology, fixation procedures, hormonal variations, and life-style factors (smoking, alcohol and over-the-counter medication) on the cellular spectra was investigated. The largest of these studies, the screening for oral disease, enrolled 120 subjects, about 25 clinical cases and 95 volunteers recruited on-campus.