Early biomarker for radiation-induced wounds: day one post-irradiation assessment using hemoglobin concentration measured from diffuse optical reflectance spectroscopy

Normal tissue radiation toxicities are evaluated subjectively and cannot predict the development of severe side-effects. Using a hand-held diffuse reflectance optical spectroscopy probe, we measured optical parameters in mouse skin 1-4 days after irradiation. Using a radiation toxicity model and a therapeutic mitigator described previously [BMC Cancer14, 614 (2014)], we found that hemoglobin (Hb) levels increased sharply 24 h after irradiation only in the irradiated group without the mitigator. This group also had the largest peak wound areas after 14 days. We conclude that increased Hb one day after skin irradiation predicts the severity of the subsequent irradiation-induced wound.