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Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic study of human breast normal and carcinomal tissues has been carried out. Some distinctive spectral differences which are mainly due to nucleic acids and proteins are observed between normal and carcinomal tissues. This method of analysis results in nearly 100% diagnostic accuracy of carcinomal tissues from normal tissues. The spectral patterns of well‐differentiated carcinomal tissues exhibit marked heterogeneity, however that of poorly differentiated carcinomas demonstrate significant similarity. Apocrine, tubular, intraductal and mucinous carcinomas and invasive infiltrating ductal carcinomal tissues can be discriminated based on their characteristic spectra. The spectral differences confirm the possibility of using FTIR as an accurate and rapid technique to distinguish between normal and malignant breast tissues and classify breast carcinomas in different subtypes.