Deceptive “New Hopes” for Cancer
Reported October 15, 2011
DURHAM N.C. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — Melanoma its the most common form of cancer in the U.S and its one of the deadliest skin cancers. Now, a new kind of imaging could detect melanoma earlier and provide a better roadmap for the surgeon who removes it.
Hat, sunglasses, sunscreen 28-year-old Megan Brinker wont leave home without them. Her habits changed last year, after her dermatologist discovered a suspicious mole on her upper abdomen.
It wasnt anything that looked to me like it was really bad, you know,” Brinker told Ivanhoe.
A biopsy revealed stage one melanoma.
Your mind goes all different places like how is this just gonna affect my life, whats gonna change, whats gonna happen down the road, am I gonna be ok,” explained Brinker.
Today Megans fine, studies show early detection and treatment can stop melanoma in its tracks.
At Washington University, biomedical engineers are taking that concept to the next level.
Using our technology, yeah, we can see the tumor as well as the surrounding blood vessels. And this can be potentially very important for diagnosis, “Lihong Wang, Ph.D.,
Biomedical Engineer at Washington University, told Ivanhoe.
It can also help surgeons to see a tumor in a more clearly and with better resolution, Younan Xia, PhD, Biomedical Engineer at Washington University, added.
Photoacoustic tomography uses laser light and sound waves to create an image of the cancer inside the body.
To fine tune the image, researchers use tiny gold nanocages that are each set to a specific wave length.
Thats why they show different colors, “Dr. Xia explained.
The nanocages improve contrast between malignant and normal tissue. The result is a 3D picture that could show a surgeon where cancer is, and where it isnt.
We can monitor treatment, provide tumor margin detection or even post treatment recovery, said Dr. Wang.
Its scientific research that could help us see cancer more clearly.
Washington University researchers say photoacoustic tomography is the fastest growing technology in optics today. Though it isnt ready for the operating room yet, these imaging experiments are continuing in that direction. More than just melanoma, researchers believe this 3D imaging will be invaluable for detection and treatment of a variety of cancers, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.