Nondestructive Device Detects Cancer in Ten Seconds
By HospiMedica International staff writers Posted on 20 Sep 2017 |
Image: The MasSpec Pen detects cancerous tissue during surgery (Photo courtesy of UT Austin).
A novel handheld mass spectrometry system can analyze tissues to detect cancerous tissue during surgery, claims a new study.
The MasSpec Pen, under development at the University of Texas (UT, Austin, USA), Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX, USA), and other institutions, is designed to identify the molecular profile of tissues using a small volume water droplet. After just three seconds of gentle physical contact with a tissue surface, the water droplet is transported to a mass spectrometer, where biomolecules are extracted and characterized for diagnostic proteins, lipids, and metabolites. The rapid molecular profiling of the tissues can be used to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue during surgery, without specific labeling or imaging.
In an ex-vivo molecular analysis of 20 thin human cancer tissue sections and 253 human patient tissue samples--including normal and cancerous tissues from breast, lung, thyroid, and ovary--the spectra obtained presented rich molecular profiles characterized by a variety of potential cancer biomarkers. Statistical classifiers derived from histologically validated molecular database allowed cancer prediction with high sensitivity (96.4%), specificity (96.2%), and overall accuracy (96.3%), as well as prediction of benign and malignant thyroid tumors and different histologic subtypes of lung cancer.
The researchers added that the classifier allowed accurate diagnosis of cancer even in marginal tumor regions presenting mixed histologic composition. They then went on to demonstrate that the MasSpec Pen could also be used for in-vivo cancer diagnosis during surgery performed in tumor-bearing mouse models, without causing any observable tissue harm or stress to the animal. The study was published on September 6, 2017, in Science Translational Medicine.
“Cancer cells have dysregulated metabolism as they're growing out of control. Because the metabolites in cancer and normal cells are so different, we extract and analyze them with the MasSpec Pen to obtain a molecular fingerprint of the tissue,” said senior author Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, PhD, of UT. “If you talk to cancer patients after surgery, one of the first things many will say is 'I hope the surgeon got all the cancer out.' It's just heartbreaking when that's not the case.”
“Any time we can offer the patient a more precise surgery, a quicker surgery, or a safer surgery, that's something we want to do. This technology does all three. It allows us to be much more precise in what tissue we remove and what we leave behind,” added study co-author James Suliburk, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine. “Our technology could vastly improve the odds that surgeons really do remove every last trace of cancer during surgery.”
Related Links:
University of Texas
Baylor College of Medicine
The MasSpec Pen, under development at the University of Texas (UT, Austin, USA), Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX, USA), and other institutions, is designed to identify the molecular profile of tissues using a small volume water droplet. After just three seconds of gentle physical contact with a tissue surface, the water droplet is transported to a mass spectrometer, where biomolecules are extracted and characterized for diagnostic proteins, lipids, and metabolites. The rapid molecular profiling of the tissues can be used to distinguish tumor from healthy tissue during surgery, without specific labeling or imaging.
In an ex-vivo molecular analysis of 20 thin human cancer tissue sections and 253 human patient tissue samples--including normal and cancerous tissues from breast, lung, thyroid, and ovary--the spectra obtained presented rich molecular profiles characterized by a variety of potential cancer biomarkers. Statistical classifiers derived from histologically validated molecular database allowed cancer prediction with high sensitivity (96.4%), specificity (96.2%), and overall accuracy (96.3%), as well as prediction of benign and malignant thyroid tumors and different histologic subtypes of lung cancer.
The researchers added that the classifier allowed accurate diagnosis of cancer even in marginal tumor regions presenting mixed histologic composition. They then went on to demonstrate that the MasSpec Pen could also be used for in-vivo cancer diagnosis during surgery performed in tumor-bearing mouse models, without causing any observable tissue harm or stress to the animal. The study was published on September 6, 2017, in Science Translational Medicine.
“Cancer cells have dysregulated metabolism as they're growing out of control. Because the metabolites in cancer and normal cells are so different, we extract and analyze them with the MasSpec Pen to obtain a molecular fingerprint of the tissue,” said senior author Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, PhD, of UT. “If you talk to cancer patients after surgery, one of the first things many will say is 'I hope the surgeon got all the cancer out.' It's just heartbreaking when that's not the case.”
“Any time we can offer the patient a more precise surgery, a quicker surgery, or a safer surgery, that's something we want to do. This technology does all three. It allows us to be much more precise in what tissue we remove and what we leave behind,” added study co-author James Suliburk, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine. “Our technology could vastly improve the odds that surgeons really do remove every last trace of cancer during surgery.”
Related Links:
University of Texas
Baylor College of Medicine
Latest Surgical Techniques News
- Miniaturized Implantable Multi-Sensors Device to Monitor Vessels Health
- Tiny Robots Made Out Of Carbon Could Conduct Colonoscopy, Pelvic Exam or Blood Test
- Miniaturized Ultrasonic Scalpel Enables Faster and Safer Robotic-Assisted Surgery
- AI Assisted Reading Tool for Small Bowel Video Capsule Endoscopy Detects More Lesions
- First-Ever Contact Force Pulsed Field Ablation System to Transform Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias
- Caterpillar Robot with Built-In Steering System Crawls Easily Through Loops and Bends
- Tiny Wraparound Electronic Implants to Revolutionize Treatment of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Small, Implantable Cardiac Pump to Help Children Awaiting Heart Transplant
- Gastrointestinal Imaging Capsule a Game-Changer in Esophagus Surveillance and Treatment
- World’s Smallest Laser Probe for Brain Procedures Facilitates Ablation of Full Range of Targets
- Artificial Intelligence Broadens Diagnostic Abilities of Conventional Coronary Angiography
- AI-Powered Surgical Visualization Tool Supports Surgeons' Visual Recognition in Real Time
- Cutting-Edge Robotic Bronchial Endoscopic System Provides Prompt Intervention during Emergencies
- Handheld Device for Fluorescence-Guided Surgery a Game Changer for Removal of High-Grade Glioma Brain Tumors
- Porous Gel Sponge Facilitates Rapid Hemostasis and Wound Healing
- Novel Rigid Endoscope System Enables Deep Tissue Imaging During Surgery