Raman Spectroscopy to Detect Lung Cancer and Monitor Vaccine Effects

3D rendered illustration of lung cancer © appledesign - stock.adobe.com

Lung cancer, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, presents challenges in early diagnosis and effective treatment (1–3). Originating in the lung parenchyma or bronchi, lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Since 1987, it has surpassed breast cancer as the primary cause of cancer deaths in women. Annually, approximately 225,000 new cases are reported, with around 160,000 fatalities. Notably, lung cancer was relatively rare in the early 20th century, with its dramatic rise attributed to increased smoking among both men and women (2,3).

Adding to the complexity, chemotherapy often weakens patients' immune systems, increasing susceptibility to infections like pneumonia. Vaccination with the 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) offers a potential defense. A collaborative study by researchers from the Holycross Cancer Centre, Medical University of Lublin, and the Polish Academy of Sciences explored the dual role of PCV13 in lung cancer treatment and its broader immune implications (1). This research was conducted by Jolanta Smok-Kalwat, Stanisław Góźdź, Paweł Macek, Zuzanna Kalwat, Magdalena Sawic, Anna Sroka-Bartnicka, Andrzej Stepulak, and Joanna Depciuch. The team’s expertise spanned clinical oncology (Holycross Cancer Centre), biochemistry and molecular biology (Medical University of Lublin), and advanced spectroscopy techniques (Polish Academy of Sciences) (1).

Study Details and Methods

The study involved 116 lung cancer patients and 19 healthy individuals who received the PCV13 vaccine. Serum samples were collected from participants before and 30 days after vaccination. Using Raman spectroscopy, researchers analyzed the biochemical composition of the samples, correlating spectral data with immunological parameters like immunoglobulins IgG, IgG2,aas well as monocytes, and C-reactive protein (CRP) (1).

Raman spectroscopy, known for its sensitivity and ability to detect subtle biochemical changes, proved extremely valuable. The technique revealed a notable shift in spectral peaks towards higher Raman shifts post-vaccination, particularly in lung cancer patients. This has potentially demonstrated the vaccine’s pronounced impact on the immune system in this group compared to healthy individuals (1).

Key Findings

Differentiating lung cancer patients: Raman spectroscopy successfully distinguished between lung cancer patients and healthy individuals based on serum composition. Post-vaccination samples showed enhanced immunological activity, marked by increased IgG and IgG2 levels.

Vaccine impact on immune response: the study highlighted the vaccine's effectiveness in enhancing immune responses, even in immunocompromised individuals. Changes in Raman spectra correlated strongly with biochemical parameters, particularly in lung cancer patients.

AUC-ROC analysis: receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis underscored the technique's diagnostic potential. AUC values ranged from 0.794 when comparing post-vaccination study and control groups to 0.575 for pre- and post-vaccination control groups, emphasizing Raman spectroscopy's acceptable ability to monitor immunological changes. AUC-ROC analysis is a performance measurement for classification models, where a value of 0.5 indicates no discrimination and a value of 1.0 indicates perfect discrimination.

Implications for Cancer and Vaccine Research

The findings suggest Raman spectroscopy could serve as a powerful tool for:

Early detection of lung cancer through non-invasive serum analysis.

Monitoring vaccine efficacy by identifying biochemical changes linked to immune responses.

The study’s multidisciplinary approach, integrating spectroscopy with immunology, offers a novel pathway for evaluating treatment and vaccination strategies in cancer patients.

Conclusion and Future Directions

By showcasing Raman spectroscopy’s potential to detect lung cancer and evaluate vaccine-induced immune responses, this study opens doors to more personalized and effective healthcare strategies. Future research could expand on these findings by exploring other vaccines and their impacts on various patient demographics, furthering Raman spectroscopy’s role in modern medical diagnostics.

References

(1) Smok-Kalwat, J.; Góźdź, S.; Macek, P.; Kalwat, Z.; Sawic, M.; Sroka-Bartnicka, A.; Stepulak, A.; Depciuch, J. Raman Spectroscopy as a Tool for Detection of Lung Cancer and Verification of Vaccination Effect\u2014Correlation with Biochemical Data. Vaccine 2025, 46, 126690. DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2024.126690.

(2) NIH National Library of Medicine Lung Cancer Home Page. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482357/ (accessed 2025-01-14).

(3) Miller, K. D.; Siegel, R. L.; Lin, C. C.; Mariotto, A. B.; Kramer, J. L.; Rowland, J. H.; Stein, K. D.; Alteri, R.; Jemal, A. Cancer Treatment and Survivorship Statistics, 2016. CA Cancer J. Clin. 2016, 66 (4), 271–289. DOI: 10.3322/caac.21349