Ma. Cohenford et al., INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY OF NORMAL AND ABNORMAL CERVICAL SMEARS - EVALUATION BY PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS, Gynecologic oncology, 66(1), 1997, pp. 59-65
Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of malignant and dysplastic
cervical scrapings were abnormal, as first described in our study of
a limited number of samples, where the spectra were evaluated by visua
l inspection and peak intensity ratios. We have expanded our study to
evaluate more cervical conditions, and to analyze the spectra by a che
mometric approach (principal component analysis [PCA]). Cervical sampl
es from 436 females were evaluated by FT-IR and Papanicolaou testing;
40/436 spectra were nonanalyzable. The remaining were as follows: norm
al, 174; malignant, 19; dysplasia, 8; atypia, 113; atrophy, 19; inflam
matory, 47; bloody smear, 12; hypocellular, 4. PCA analysis followed b
y chi(2) test revealed that statistically significant frequencies of b
eing predicted malignant by FT-IR were associated with samples diagnos
ed as malignant (P < 0.0001), and also those diagnosed as ''atrophy''
(P < 0.001), ''atypical with bloody smear'' (P < 0.05), ''atypical wit
h atrophic pattern'' (P < 0.05), and ''dysplasia'' (P < 0.05). Based o
n these findings, for the diagnosis of cervical cancer by FT-IR, as de
fined here, the sensitivity is 79%, the specificity is 77%, the positi
ve predictive value is 15%, and the negative predictive value is 98.6%
. Our findings (a) demonstrate the application of a chemometric approa
ch to the study of cervical FT-LR spectra; (b) assess its potential di
agnostic role; (c) suggest that atrophic and neoplastic samples share
structural features; and (d) suggest that blood may interfere with suc
h spectroscopic evaluation. These findings warrant further evaluation
of FT-IR spectroscopy in cervical and other malignancies. (C) 1997 Aca
demic Press.