Identifying markers of pathology in SAXS data of malignant tissues of the brain

Conventional neuropathological analysis for brain malignancies is heavily reliant on the observation of morphological abnormalities, observed in thin, stained sections of tissue. Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) data provide an alternative means of distinguishing pathology by examining the ultra-structural (nanometer length scales) characteristics of tissue. To evaluate the diagnostic potential of SAXS for brain tumors, data was collected from normal, malignant and benign tissues of the human brain at station 2.1 of the Daresbury Laboratory Synchrotron Radiation Source and subjected to data mining and multivariate statistical analysis. The results suggest SAXS data may be an effective classifier of malignancy.