Effective cancer-tumor control with new AR glasses 3D-ARILE

Yesterday science fiction, tomorrow the new standard?

Augmented reality (AR) or viral reality (VR) has recently made headlines, especially in the video game industry. But even away from entertainment interests, the new technologies offer a lot of potential. A good example of this is the new AR system "3D-ARILE", which will be presented at the Medica trade fair from 13 to 16 November. The AR glasses are intended to help surgeons in difficult operations to determine the exact location of tumors.

Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute have developed the AR glasses as a navigation aid that should help physicians to make difficult surgery to eliminate tumors. Because malignant tumors often form metastases, which can spread throughout the body. The determination of the position and the removal of such nodes requires a great deal of operational skill and experience from the attending physicians. With the help of smart glasses, the exact position of the affected lymph node should be displayed virtually in the future.

Hurry is in demand

The Federal Statistical Office reports that the number of skin cancer treatments in hospitals has increased significantly in recent years. A particularly aggressive form is the black skin cancer, also known as malignant melanoma. In this form of cancer, when the cancer cells are transported from the lymph to the lymph nodes, metastases can form there. These metastases are called sentry-guard nodes. If they are at the top of the drainage area of ​​the lymphatic fluid of a malignant tumor, there is an increased likelihood that further metastases will form in the surrounding area. Therefore, the early identification and removal of such nodules plays a crucial role in the control of certain cancers, such as dermal, breast and prostate cancers.

The augmented reality sees what is hidden from the eye

Despite many new achievements in cancer research, it is still difficult for physicians during an operation to detect the exact location of shield-guardian nodes and to see if the affected lymph node has been completely removed. "In order to visualize the affected lymph nodes, the patient is injected with a fluorescent dye in the immediate vicinity of the tumor, which spreads across the lymph channels and collects in the sentinel lymph node," reports Dr. med. Stefan Wesarg, scientist at the Fraunhofer IGD. By infrared light, the dye is excited to fluorescence and can be detected by special cameras. In the computer, the affected lymph node is reconstructed and its position is precisely displayed in the AR glasses. "In our case, the diseased tissue is shown in green. The doctor can determine by staining, if he has indeed cut out all that is necessary, "explains Dr. med. Wesarg.

Gentler treatment

The Fraunhofer Institute reports that another advantage is the fluorescent dye used as an alternative to radioactive nanocolloid. So far, doctors use the radioactive nanocolloid Technetium 99m as a medical marker. However, according to the Fraunhofer Institute, this beam is only weak and the images from the special cameras take about 30 minutes to record the exact position of the lymph node. The new technology displays the image in real time and does not require an additional monitor. "The doctor can focus on the patient and operate more stress-free," Dr. Wesarg. (Fp)