Raman microspectroscopy is a tool to identify the metastatic ability of breast tumors

The identification of biomarkers in the primary tumor is essential for the stratification of breast cancer patients according to the risk of metastasis progression. To characterize the lipogenic phenotype of breast cancer metastatic cells, the Raman excitation was acquired using an InVia Raman microscope (Renishaw) with a backscattered configuration. The spectroscopic differences between metastatic variants, confirmed by Nile Red staining and fluorescence microscopy, indicate the biomedical application of Raman microspectroscopy to identify the metabolic phenotype of metastatic cells.