Students in America have developed a pioneering device that could slash the amount of lumpectomies in half. When your wellness is affected by breast cancer, you may need to undergo a lumpectomy so that the doctors can remove your cancer cells. However, because of the high fat content of the samples, your doctor won’t be able to scan tissue to check that all cancerous cells have been removed, but the new device is set to change this.
Designed by Johns Hopkins University, the device attaches an adhesive film to your breast tissue, so that pathologists can scan samples within 20 minutes of surgery. This means that, if you do indeed still have cancerous cells, your doctor can remove them while you’re still on the table, and so you won’t need to put your wellbeing through second or third follow-up operations. As it stands, it can take days for samples to be scanned, which can also cause delays in other treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
With most tumours, a pathologist can flash-freeze the tissue and slice off paper-thin samples for microscopic examination. Then, if cancer cells are seen to extend to the outer edge or margin of a sample, the surgeon can remove more tissue from the patient. Because of breast tissue’s high fat content, it does not freeze well and this causes the samples to smear, form gaps and become unsuitable for a quick review. However, by applying a film before the tissue is sliced, the new device holds the delicate tissue together and prevents damage to the samples during the slicing process.
According to student inventor Hector Neira from Maryland, ‘We spoke to breast cancer surgeons. They told us that they are desperate for something that will allow them to remove the tumour in its entirety the first time, so that the patient doesn’t have to come back for a second surgery.’ So the device was born, which has now been tested on animal tissue and human breast samples from a tissue bank. While the device is still in its prototype stage, and it is yet to be used on patients, the students hope to give breast cancer patients the same rapid review that commonly occurs when other tumours are removed.
One of the inventors Anjana Sinha of Princeton, New Jersey, commented, ‘We’re not doing it for the money. We want to improve healthcare practices and raise the standard of care for these breast cancer patients. Why can’t they get the same type of quick results that people with other types of cancer receive?’ Melissa Camp, a Johns Hopkins assistant professor of surgery who worked with the team, added, ‘I think the students…are addressing a very real need in the field of breast cancer surgery. Accurate assessment of margin status during the initial operation will lead to fewer re-operations, and this will be beneficial for patients in many respects. I look forward to their continued work!’
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