An intelligent scalpel that is capable of detecting breast and brain tumors has also proven effective in finding, in just seconds, uterine cancer, one of the most common in women. The device - developed in 2013 by researchers at Imperial College London - makes it possible to differentiate healthy tissues from cancerous ones through the mass spectrometry technique.
This important advance means improving the early diagnosis of patients, which reduces the stress and emotional burden involved in waiting for the results of the biopsy. In addition, it allows treatment to be started quicker.
IKnife High diagnostic accuracy
The results are tremendously positive. This scalpel demonstrated a high diagnostic accuracy of 89% and a positive predictive value of 94%. The possibility of suffering from cancer is really low if the data from the device is negative, while if it is positive, additional tests and explorations can be accelerated.
In addition to the time in the result, the method implies other advantages: mass spectrometry provides easy interpretation, has high sensitivity, extraordinary specificity and is minimally invasive for patients, allowing real-time analysis of tumors and extracted tissues.
"We believe it has the potential to reduce tumor recurrence rates and allow more patients to survive," Zoltan Takats, one of the device's creators, explained at the time.
How does this pioneering instrument work?
The iKnife uses electrical currents to differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissue, analyzing the smoke that is emitted by vaporizing biopsy tissue after removing it from the uterus.
In tests performed on tissue samples from 150 biopsies from women suspected of having endometrial cancer, the results were compared with other diagnostic methods. The next announced step will be a large clinical trial to generalize the use of this knife, as reported by The Guardian.
"Uterine cancer has a 'red flag' symptom which is postmenopausal bleeding, which should always be checked with a GP referral within two weeks. Waiting another two weeks for results can be very hard on patients. ", says Athena Lamnisos, CEO of the charity Eve Appeal, which funded this research.
Since abnormal vaginal bleeding after menopause can be caused by many factors, a diagnostic test that rules out or detects cancer right away is a giant step forward. In 90 percent of women with this type of problem, the cause of the bleeding is not cancer.
SOURCE: www.redaccionmedica.com
