Terahertz spectroscopy for the characterization of excised human breast tissue

This paper presents experimental terahertz spectroscopy measurements of normal and breast cancer tissue in the range 0.1 to 4 THz. Both tissue types are prepared on microscope glass and polystyrene slides. The preliminary results of a particular tumor tissue using terahertz spectroscopy align with the pathology diagnosis of poorly differentiated tumor. The results demonstrate the potential of terahertz spectroscopy for the characterization of cancer, fibro, and normal breast tissue. More research into the sample thickness, microscopic slide material, embedding medium and cancer type will be presented using a large number of samples in order to establish the technique.