We have investigated the application of near-infrared (NIR) fiber-optic spectroscopy for the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Cluster analysis of the Fourier transformed near-infrared (FTNIR) fiber-optic spectra of surgically resected pancreatic tumor tissues allowed discrimination of tumor from normal tissue with high sensitivity and specificity. The sensitivity of the method using spectral information of the CH stretching first overtone region was 83.3% with a specificity of 83.3%. Based on the CH stretching second overtone region we could achieve a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 72.2%. These findings suggest that NIR spectroscopy offers the potential for minimally invasive in-vivo diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
