Medical Design Briefs - January 2023 - 40

Microscope Could Speed Up and Simplify Breast
Cancer Treatment
Imperial College London, London, UK
R
esearchers at Imperial College London
have developed an ultra-tiny
endo- microscope that could help improve
breast cancer treatment and cut
NHS waiting lists. The endo-microscope,
a microscope designed to be inserted
into the body to provide views of tissues
and organs, can be steered through extremely
small, tight spaces in the body
during surgery, producing images with
unprecedented speed.
" A key focus of this EPSRC-funded
work has been the development of hardware
and software enabling the new system
to generate 120 frames per second,
a huge leap forward in terms of image
acquisition during surgery, " says Dr.
Khushi Vyas. " Our aim is to proceed to
clinical trials with a view to the system becoming
available for deployment in
around five years. "
When exploring spaces such as breast
ducts, the instrument can pinpoint features
smaller than a single cell. The
scope will aid high-precision breastconserving
surgery by enabling surgeons
to identify, extremely accurately and
much more quickly than currently possible,
suspicious tissue around tumors as
well as cancerous cells just a hundredth
of a millimeter across.
" By reducing the time it takes to identify
cancerous cells and improve the accuracy
of imaging, the endo-microscope
developed by Dr. Vyas and his team
could benefit patients and the NHS by
reducing waiting lists, " Dr. Kedar Pandya,
EPSRC director for cross-council
programs. " This illustrates the important
role that cutting-edge research and
innovation will play in helping us to detect
and treat the most common cancer
in the UK. "
Breast-conserving surgery is preferred
over mastectomy (complete breast removal)
because it involves localized tumor
removal, less patient trauma, good
outcomes from a cosmetic perspective
and shorter hospital stays (saving NHS
resources). But this option often involves
the need for further operations.
The endo-microscope is also designed
to be used in the lungs, urinary
tract, digestive system, and brain, for
40
The endo-microscope can be steered through extremely small, tight spaces in the body during surgery,
producing images with unprecedented speed. (Credit: Dr. Khushi Vyas, Imperial College London)
instance. It is being developed by Dr.
Vyas and colleagues at Imperial College
London, supported by the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research
Council (EPSRC), part of UK
Research and Innovation.
n Higher Patient Throughput
The instrument will reduce the need
for follow-up operations to remove cancerous
cells that previously evaded detection,
benefiting the patient and helping
to reduce pressure on NHS resources.
Up to 20 percent of breast cancer patients
treated through breast-conserving
surgery currently need such operations.
Patients will also benefit from shorter recovery
times as a result of the unnecessary
removal of tissue being minimized.
A key advantage of the instrument is
its ability to produce real- time highresolution
images of the tissue microarchitecture
an order of magnitude
quicker than existing commercially available
systems. This ability will reduce the
duration of operations and potentially
further increase patient throughput.
The researchers have used their system
for preliminary studies on human
cancer tissue, and surgeons and patholowww.medicaldesignbriefs.com
gists
are now testing its use on laboratory
samples of cancerous tissue.
n Extremely Easy to Use
Compact, portable, and easy to use,
the endo-microscope comprises a tiny
lens assembly fitted to the end of a flexible
polymer fiber-bundle the width of
25-30 human hairs. The system is designed
to be set up next to the patient in
the operating theater.
The surgeon will then carefully insert
the fiber into the patient by hand, holding
it like a pen. Alternatively, the endomicroscope
can be fitted into a robotic
scanner to precisely scan the entire
breast cavity for suspicious tissue.
The scope can be navigated around
very easily, with instant large-area mosaic
image generation of whatever the
fiber- tip comes into contact with, similar
to the panorama feature on smartphones.
The
high-resolution images are displayed
in real time on a high-definition
monitor that surgeons consult as they
work.
For more information, visit www.
imperial.ac.uk or contact Dr. Khushi Vyas
at k.vyas13@imperial.ac.uk.
Medical Design Briefs, January 2023

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Medical Design Briefs - January 2023

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