In yet another breakthrough in healthcare technology, researchers from Imperial College London have developed a new surgical intelligent knife (IKnife). According to their claims, it can detect endometrial or womb cancer within seconds, speeding up diagnostics to an unprecedented level.
Using Rapid evaporative ionization mass spectrometry (REIMS), the surgical IKnife can rapidly identify endometrial cancer tissues that begin from the uterus.
The IKnife detects cancer tissue by using standard electrosurgical methods to generate surgical aerosols (minute respiratory particles) that are then investigated by a mass spectrometer to provide real-time tissue signatures.
For the research, the scientists tested biopsy tissue samples taken from 150 women with suspected womb cancer. They used IKnife and then compared the results with other diagnosis methods.
The new findings, published in the MDPI's journal "Cancers," revealed that IKnife reliably diagnosed endometrial cancer in seconds with 89 percent accuracy, with its diagnosis having a positive predictive value of 94 percent.
In the past, the surgical IKnife has also correctly identified different cancer tissue types, including lung, colon, and liver cancer, the researchers said.
Every year, over 120,000 new cases of endometrial cancer are diagnosed in the European Union alone, making it one of the most prevalent gynecological cancers in the Western world among women.
With the help of the rapid results with IKnife, doctors can start treatment in advance, avoiding unnecessary delays.