Glasses that make cancer glow
Glasses that make cancer glow
(Reuters)
When Sandy Sagitto was diagnosed with breast cancer she was devastated.
"First thought is that I couldn't believe that I drew that card from the deck. I had no risk factors going in, I had no family history. It wasn't real for a while," she said.
But reality set in fast when her doctors said they needed to remove the cancer forming in her body. Sagitto, 53, a neurosurgery nurse for the past 25 years, was open to the idea of participating in a clinical trial to test out a new technology that gives surgeons the ability to visualize cancer cells in real time while they operate.
"Wow, we have headed into the Superman realm. You have the x-ray vision," she said.
It's better than x-ray vision, according to Dr. Samuel Achilefu, a professor of radiology at Washington University, who developed the technology.
Achilefu says that in a conventional lumpectomy, a procedure to remove a portion of the breast to treat cancer, surgeons rely on scans taken before the operation to decide how much tissue to remove. He says differentiating between healthy cells and cancer cells is hard, which is why surgeons remove an excess amount of healthy tissue when operating, and even when erring on the side of caution, up to 25 percent of patients need a repeat procedure to remove more cancerous tissue.
"The primary goal of the technology is to make sure that the surgeon does not operate in the blind, it's to make the cancer cells light up like Christmas trees," said Achilefu.
The system works by first injecting the patient with a cancer-targeting dye that attaches to abnormal cells. Then a near infrared light is beamed on the target area which allows a surgeon wearing specialized glasses to see cancer cells glowing.
"What this does is conserve the healthy tissue and only go after the ones that are abnormal," added. Achilefu.
Currently the cancer glasses are being tested on skin and breast cancer patients, but Dr. Achilefu says they could be used to visualize and remove a wide range of cancers. He says lighting up cancer means a brighter future for people diagnosed with the deadly disease.
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The system works by first injecting the patient with a cancer-targeting dye that attaches to abnormal cells. Then a near infrared light is beamed on the target area which allows a surgeon wearing specialized glasses to see cancer cells glowing.
Sounds a lot like the PET scan in which cancer cells light up taken to a new level.
One can only hope that this will save many lives.
My bride is a survivor and we cannot say enough about the quality of care she received and out sincere hope that no other family should have to g through what we did and still do on a daily basis.
All advances in oncology are a blessing in our minds
My bride is a survivor She certainly is! May the 2 of you have MANY more happy and healthy years to come! You both are lucky to have each other!
Nona
We have talked of that fact a lot in the past year and live each day with a focus on the future and faith in each other.
Thanks for those kind words.
Excellent advancement in cancer research.
The next step might be even more useful ... photo therapy with chemical agents attracted to certain frequencies .
Science has come such a far way....thank Goodness!!
I'm glad to see this!