Introduction: The accurate delineation of tumor margins is challenging due to the difficulties in discrimination between healthy and affected tissue. Direct mass-spectrometry method based on lipidomic profiling of tissues is a promising approach for express and precise intraoperative tumor identification.
Methods: The method is based on novel real-time inline capsular extraction method that could be applied almost to the majority of the commercially available mass-spectrometers. A tissue sample obtained during surgery could be transported from the operation room to the laboratory in individual sterile tubes and then could be analyzed in less than 1 minute. A novel capsular extraction method requires very small amount of sample (less than 1 cubic millimeter) and only simple actions from the operator. Moreover, samples could be packed in marked ready-to-analysis capsules during the surgery to improve handling procedures. For the rapid identification of the tumor type, we proposed a method based on search inside the reference database containing mass spectra of samples characterized by histopathological methods.
Results: It was previously demonstrated that ultrahigh resolution mass-spectrometry lipidomic profiling of brain tissue samples allow to create database of different brain tissue tumors that could be applied to distinguish them from healthy tissue. The new feature selection algorithm for spectra processing was applied to create mapping schema for adaptation of classifier build on the high-resolution spectra to low-resolution spectra for low-resolution instruments, which commonly used in routine applications in clinic. Nevertheless further spectra’s database enhancing is required to improve reliability and completeness of identification.
Conclusions: Finally, it was demonstrated that mass-spectrometry profiling of brain tissues could be used as rapid intraoperative technology for characterization and identification of removed tissues.
Patient Care: Applying the proposed method to clinic will improve the effectiveness of tumor removal during the surgery.
Learning Objectives: Mass spectrometry profiling could become one of possible methods for rapid and reliable intra surgery control and characterization of dissected tissues.