Multi-elemental imaging of breast cancer tissues using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Chemical elements play important roles in the processes of DNA, RNA, proteins and other indispensable life processes [1]. Deficiency or excess of certain elements can trigger biological abnormalities, and cause several and even deadly diseases [2]. Therefore, analysing chemical elements in normal or diseased tissues is of great interest in the biomedical community. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a recognized analytical technique for detecting chemical elements. It is simple in apparatus and requires little or no sample preparation. It can detect multiple elements simultaneously at parts-per-million scale, and can be integrated with other optical instruments such as microscopy. With such merits, LIBS has been applied for elemental mapping of healthy and malignant human skin samples [3]. Breast cancer is one of most important malignancies affecting women all around the world. In this work, multi-elemental imaging of beast cancer tissues was investigated using LIBS. Distribution of calcium (Ca), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) in the cancer tissues was obtained and analysed.