Handheld Probe Enables Real-Time Tumor Mapping in Breast-Conserving Surgery

Breast-conserving surgery aims to remove malignant tissue while preserving healthy breast tissue, but real-time tumor mapping remains difficult. Incomplete excision increases the risk of repeat operations and delays adjuvant therapy, with consequences for recovery and quality of life. The challenge is to detect subtle residual disease that surgeons may not feel or see during the procedure. To help address this challenge, researchers have developed a wireless, hand-held probe that distinguishes tumors from healthy tissue in real time.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia, with collaborators from the University of Melbourne, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, created a device based on stereoscopic optical palpation (SOP). The approach is designed to translate the familiar surgical act of palpation into a quantitative imaging modality. The goal is to provide surgeons with intraoperative feedback that aligns with tactile assessment while adding objective visual data.

The probe operates within the field of optical elastography, which couples imaging with mechanical measurements such as elasticity. When soft tissue is gently compressed, malignant and benign regions deform differently because tumors are often stiffer than surrounding tissue. The system captures these differences and generates a visual map that can help the user discriminate cancerous from noncancerous areas during surgery.

Design requirements were established in consultation with surgeons to ensure operating room utility. The resulting prototype is ergonomic, wireless, and provides a minimum field of view of 6 millimeters by 6 millimeters, with at least one hour of battery life. Material costs were approximately $1,200, which is lower than similar benchtop SOP systems priced around $3,000, and the developers believe costs could decrease with mass production.

The team reported that the device has been designed and tested to differentiate tumors from healthy tissue and intends for future in vivo use during breast-conserving surgery. The work was published in APL Bioengineering. Beyond tumor excision, the developers note potential applications wherever palpation guides decision-making, including assessment of skin lesions. These indications suggest a path toward augmenting surgical judgment with objective mechanical imaging at the point of care.