UK Scientists Invent Scalpel That Can 'Smell' Cancer
Technology stands to improve the effectiveness of cancer surgeries.
Medical students in the United Kingdom have developed a new breed of scalpel that is capable of differentiating between cancerous and non-cancerous tissue. The scalpel, dubbed the iKnife, was developed by researchers at London's Imperial College and Australia's Daily Telegraph. They reported that early testing yielded 100 percent accuracy in identifying malignant tissue in cancer patients.
The iKnife is an electric scalpel that burns through tissue as opposed to slicing through it as a blade would. The iKnife then analyzes the smoke to determine whether or not the tissue in question is healthy or cancerous. iKnife inventor, Dr Zoltan Takats, says it could be a game changer for resection surgery, which usually involves doctors making an on-the-spot decision on where to cut when resecting tumors.
The device is currently being tested at St Mary's Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital and Charing Cross Hospital in London. According to Reuters, the next step is a clinical trial. Zoltan hopes to involve between 1,000 and 1,500 people with different types of cancers in the trial. After the trial (which will take two to three years), the iKnife will be submitted for regulatory approval ahead of its commercialization.
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Jane McEntegart is a writer, editor, and marketing communications professional with 17 years of experience in the technology industry. She has written about a wide range of technology topics, including smartphones, tablets, and game consoles. Her articles have been published in Tom's Guide, Tom's Hardware, MobileSyrup, and Edge Up.
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IndignantSkeptic It's not that great if it detects whether there is cancer or not only AFTER you've destroyed the flesh with the knife.Reply
Anyway, it is certainly an improvement, but how many millions of waiting people are going to suffer and die in the 3 years it takes the government to ensure it doesn't kill anyone. -
lamorpa Its great if it detects whether there is cancer or not after you've destroyed the flash with a knife, because this blood vessel rich area will need to be cauterized anyway (tumors are very good at promoting blood supply).Reply
If cancer is detected on one pass, just do another pass. That's the way surgery in critical areas (where least tissue loss is important) is done anyway.
(a little knowledge can really turn you around, huh?) -
PedanticNo1 We're moving into star trek-like medical technology! Ok, so maybe a tricorder didn't have to burn your ass to see if it contained cancerous cells, but we're getting there!Reply
Maybe one day we'll have technology that mimics certain dog breeds' ability to smell cancer- without any incision/burn! We live in such an incredible time. I need to stop being so jaded.