A tiny microscope that can be maneuvered through tiny spaces inside the body during surgery could speed up breast cancer treatment, according to the scientists who created it.
Experts at Imperial College London have developed an endomicroscope with a diameter of less than 1mm – about the width of 25 human hairs – and is designed to be inserted into the body to provide views of tissues and organs.
The device was able to produce images from within the tissue with “unprecedented speed,” the team said.
The hope is that the endomicroscope, developed by Dr. Khushi Vyas and colleagues at the university, will help surgeons identify cancer cells of one hundredth of a millimeter at a much faster rate than traditional methods.
It would help reduce the need for follow-up operations to remove cancer cells that previously missed detection, the team said.
The tool would also help with conservative surgery, where the surgeon removes the cancer, leaving as much of the normal breast as possible.
Currently, up to 20% of patients treated with conservative surgery require this type of surgery.
The researchers said the device could also help reduce UK NHS waiting lists.
Using the device would help surgeons identify suspicious tissue around tumors very quickly and accurately, with the endomicroscope generating up to 120 frames per second, they said.
Development of the device is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.
The director of the council’s inter-council programs, Dr. Kedar Pandya said: “By reducing the time it takes to identify cancer cells and improving imaging accuracy, the endomicroscope developed by Dr. Vyas and his team could benefit patients and the NHS. Reduction of waiting lists. .
Dr. Khushi Vyas added: “Our goal is to proceed with clinical trials in order to have the system available for implementation in approximately five years.”
Researchers have used their system for preliminary studies of human cancerous tissue and are testing its use by surgeons and pathologists on laboratory samples of cancerous tissue.
