Monte Carlo simulation of Raman light scattering in a human skin

Abstract

The paper presents an algorithm for simulating Raman light scattering inside a human skin using the Monte Carlo method. The proposed algorithm uses the photon transport algorithm developed by L. Wang and S. Jacques as a basis and permits to model heterogeneities of various sizes and topologies caused by pathological processes. A skin optical model has been built with optical transport parameters compiled from Meglinski et al., Jacques and Raman active components of skin cancer from Xu Feng et al. As the most important model components collagen, elastin, keratin, cell nucleus, triolein, ceramide, melanin and water are chosen. Raman spectra of normal human skin, malignant melanoma and basal cell carcinoma skin cancers have been simulated. The reconstructed Raman spectra reached reasonably good match with the skin spectra measured in vivo. The possibility of using the algorithm to estimate changes in the concentration of skin components with the development of malignant neoplasm by modeling Raman spectra of normal skin and skin with the malignant neoplasm and comparing them with the corresponding experimental Raman spectra is examined.