Spectral discrimination of benign and malignant prostate tissues--a preliminary report.

In this preliminary report, benign (n=8) and malignant (n=5) prostate tissues, in vitro, have been taken through autofluorescence spectroscopy. Employing Stokes' shift spectra and fluorescence emission spectra as tools of analysis, we were able to discriminate the two sets of tissues with sensitivity and specificity in excess of 85%. When the excised prostate chips were scanned with a spatial resolution of 1 mm, the epicenter of malignancy also could be delineated.