"Virtual biopsy" device for detecting skin tumors – ScienceDaily

The ability to badyze a skin tumor non-invasively could make biopsies much less risky and distressing for patients, according to a report published in Wiley Online Library. Currently, doctors who perform surgical biopsies often ignore the extent of a lesion – and if it is necessary to refer the patient to a specialist for extensive tissue sampling or plastic surgery – up to # That surgery has already begun.

The first experimental procedure of this type, called optical vibration coherence tomography (VOCT), creates a three-dimensional map of the width and depth of the legion under the skin with a tiny laser diode. It also uses sound waves to test the density and stiffness of the lesion since cancer cells are more rigid than healthy cells. A multi-inch speaker applies audible sound waves to the skin to measure the vibration of the skin and determine if the lesion is malignant.

"This procedure can be completed in 15 minutes without discomfort for the patient, who feels no sensation of light or almost inaudible sound.This is a significant improvement over surgical biopsies, which are invasive, expensive and take a lot of time, "said the principal investigator. Frederick Silver, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory at Rutgers School of Medicine Robert Wood Johnson.

The study found that a prototype VOCT device, which is awaiting FDA approval for large-scale testing, is able to distinguish between healthy skin and different types of skin lesions and carcinomas. The researchers tested the device for six months on four cutaneous excisions and on eight volunteers without skin lesions. Further studies are needed to refine the ability of the device to identify the boundaries of an injury and areas of greater density and stiffness, which would allow doctors to remove tumors through minimally invasive surgery .

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