Hand held probe detecting cancer cells in real time will revolutionize the future of cancer surgeries

Canadian researchers have made a breakthrough, that will aid in detection of cancer cells during the surgery itself. Obtaining a free margin has always been a challenge in cancer surgeries. If tumor cells are left behind they result in recurrence, decreasing the survival of the patients.

The researchers at Polytechnique Montréal, the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center (CRCHUM), the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro), McGill University, and the MUHC developed a multimodal optical spectroscopy probe that helps the surgeon determine the presence of cancer cells in real time during the surgery itself.

During a intraoperative testing of the device, the spectroscope detected tumor cells with 100% sensitivity, in other words, the probe never fails to make a distinction between cancer and healthy cells.

The paper was published on June 28 in the American Association for Cancer Research Journal Cancer Research.

Although, the probe was initially tested in brain cancer surgery, it can be used in other cancer surgeries like Ob/Gyn, lung, colon and skin.

The probe is a result of combination of multiple modalities like Raman spectroscopy, intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. These various modalities help detect the metabolic and chemical composition of the cells as well as intrinsic tissue absorption.

All these technologies are integrated into a single sensor, in combination with stimulating lasers, a highly sensitive camera, and a spectrometer helps create a precise and never seen before molecular image of cancer cells.

First randomized clinical trial of the first-generation probe is underway in patients with gliomas. The results will help to design the trial for multimodal probe.

In 2015, Dr. Kevin Petrecca and Frederic Leblond commercialized the probe by creating ODS Medical. They are in the process of getting FDA approval to make the technology available to hospitals in near future.

Source: Press Release Polytechnique Montréal.

                          

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