Newly developed diagnostic pen can detect cancer cells in seconds

New device for diagnosing cancer works quickly and reliably
Cancer patients usually have only one thought after their treatment, they hope that the cancer has been completely removed. Researchers have now developed a new technology that improves the likelihood that surgeons will remove even the last traces of cancer. The new type of cancer detection only takes ten seconds and is very reliable.

Researchers at the University of Texas developed the so-called MasSpec Pen. This pen is able to scan tissue for cancer and then make a diagnosis in just ten seconds, which is more than 96 percent reliable. The technology was also able to detect cancer in peripheral regions between normal and cancerous tissues (mixed cellular composition). The experts published a press release on the results of their study.

In the treatment of cancer, it is very important that the entire cancer is removed from the body of the person concerned. There must be no traces of cancer left in the body. A new diagnostic tool has the potential to improve the treatment of cancer. With the help of the diagnostic pen, cancer can be detected reliably within just ten seconds. (Image: DOC RABE Media / fotolia.com)

Frozen Section Analysis takes a long time and can be inaccurate
The currently used method for diagnosing cancer is called Frozen Section Analysis. However, this diagnostic method is slow and sometimes inaccurate. It can take 30 minutes for a pathologist to interpret a sample, explain the researchers. This long period of time increases the risk of infection and negative effects of anesthesia. In some forms of cancer, the interpretation of frozen section analysis is also extremely difficult. This can then lead to unreliable results in 10 to 20 percent of sufferers.

New diagnostic tool is very accurate
In tests on tissues taken from 253 human cancer patients, examination with the MasSpec Pen took about 10 seconds. The diagnosis was also very accurate (more than 96 percent). The research team expects the new technology to be tested in oncology as early as 2018.

Removing too much healthy tissue can cause great problems
The new technology leads to more precise surgery and allows physicians to perform faster and safer surgeries. This also makes it possible to determine more precisely which tissue is removed and which is not, explain the scientists. Although maximizing cancer removal is critical to improving patient survival, removing too much healthy tissue can also have profound negative consequences for patients, the experts further explain. For example, in addition to esthetic influences, breast cancer patients may also be at increased risk for painful side effects and nerve damage. Patients with thyroid cancer may be affected by speech ability or the ability to regulate the body's calcium levels in a way that is important for muscle and nerve function.

How does the novel diagnostic pen work??
Living cells (whether healthy or cancerous) produce small molecules called metabolites. These molecules are involved in all important processes of life, such as the generation of energy, growth and reproduction, say the medical profession. They also remove toxins from the body. Each type of cancer produces a unique set of metabolites and other biomarkers that act as a kind of fingerprint, the researchers explain.

MasSpec Pen delivers results without causing tissue damage.
Because the metabolites in cancer cells and normal cells are so different, we extract and analyze them with the MasSpec Pen to obtain a molecular fingerprint of the tissue, the researchers explain. Through this simple and gentle chemical process, the MasSpec Pen can rapidly provide diagnostic molecular information without causing tissue damage.

Stift compares diagnosis with a database of molecular fingerprints
The molecular fingerprint obtained by the MasSpec Pen from an uncharacterized tissue sample is then immediately software evaluated and aligned with and incorporated into a database of molecular fingerprints. The samples included both normal and cancerous tissues of the breast, lung, thyroid, and ovary, explain the physicians. When the diagnostic pen completes its analysis, a computer screen displays either "Normal" or "Cancer." For certain cancers, such as lung cancer, the name of a subtype may also appear. (As)