Breast cancer takes a large toll on society, and early prevention and detection reduce costs for society and improve prognosis for patients. In tumours, the metabolic rate is higher, together with oxygen consumption. This can cause regions of lower oxygen saturation. In Near InfraRed Spectroscopy, the absorbance of light is used to compute concentrations of substances. In the body, oxygen binds to heme in red blood cells. If oxygen is bound to heme, the red blood cells change colour. If a lower ratio of bounded to non-bounded heme can be measured, it could be possible for a lower oxygen saturation to be detected by a Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) sensor.
The NIRS sensor developed in this report shows promising results in being able to measure a difference in oxygen saturation over time. The sensor did show some inconsistencies in drift and mean output, which could indicate incorrect calibration or measurement methods.