Despite advances in the surgical management of brain tumors, achieving optimal surgical results and identification of tumor cells from normal, remains a challenge. Raman spectroscopy, a laser-based technique that can be used to nondestructively differentiate molecules based on the inelastic scattering of light, is being applied toward improving the accuracy of brain tumor surgery. This new approach to the practice of surgical pathology for brain tumor patients potentially makes for a powerful combination: more accurate, safer and more efficient operations.
THE CURRENT ISSUE Advanced surgical techniques such as electrophysiological mapping, intraoperative MRI, and fluorescence-guided surgery have been developed to improve safety and extent of tumor resection. Despite these surgical advances, studies analyzing patterns of failure after brain tumor surgery indicate that residual tumor near…
