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.
Revolutionary
brain laser zooms in on cancer cells
