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An "intelligent" knife that can sniff out tumours to improve cancer surgery has been developed by scientists.
The Imperial College London team hope to overcome the dangerous and common problem of leaving bits of the tumour in a patient, which can then regrow.
Early results, in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed the "iKnife" could accurately identify cancerous tissue on the spot.
It is now being tested in clinical trials to see if it saves lives.
To avoid leaving cancerous tissue behind, surgeons also remove surrounding tissue.
They can even send samples off for testing while the patient is still in theatre, but this takes time.
Yet one in five patients who have a breast lump removed still need a second operation to clear their tumour. For lung cancer the figure is about one in 10.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23348661
The Imperial College London team hope to overcome the dangerous and common problem of leaving bits of the tumour in a patient, which can then regrow.
Early results, in the journal Science Translational Medicine, showed the "iKnife" could accurately identify cancerous tissue on the spot.
It is now being tested in clinical trials to see if it saves lives.
To avoid leaving cancerous tissue behind, surgeons also remove surrounding tissue.
They can even send samples off for testing while the patient is still in theatre, but this takes time.
Yet one in five patients who have a breast lump removed still need a second operation to clear their tumour. For lung cancer the figure is about one in 10.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23348661