Scientists develop new way to detect liver cancer

Credit: Evgenii Zherebtsov, Orel State University

In a new study from Orel State University, researchers have developed an optical biopsy system that can distinguish between cancerous and healthy liver tissue.

The new technology could make it easier to diagnose liver cancer, which is the sixth most common cancer globally.

In the study, the researchers report that the optical biopsy system can reliably distinguish between cancerous and healthy cells in mouse models.

The system also showed promise in preliminary tests conducted in people with suspected liver cancer.

The instrument is designed to be compatible with the needles currently used for liver biopsies.

They designed the new device after the surgeons with whom they were collaborating noted how difficult it is to perform needle biopsies in exactly the right location.

Early-stage tumors can be hard to pinpoint when inserting a tiny hollow needle into the liver to acquire a tissue sample. If the needle is placed incorrectly and misses the tumor, it could lead to an incorrect diagnosis.

The new optical biopsy system could help surgeons see, in real time, where the cancer is so that they can identify the best place to acquire a tissue sample.

The team says although tge system was specifically designed for use in abdominal surgery, the results show that similar technologies could be useful for other medical applications.

To assess the sensitivity of the assembled system, the researchers first measured known solutions of molecules that play key roles in metabolism.

Once they obtained satisfactory results, they then performed experiments in a mouse model with liver cancer and preliminary measurements in patients with suspected liver cancer.

The researchers found that their instrument and the parameters they measured could reliably distinguish liver cancer tissue, healthy liver tissue and the metabolically changed liver tissues that surround a tumor.

The researchers plan to continue measuring parameters in patients with different types of tumors at different stages to generate real-time diagnostic classifiers.

This will also make it possible to apply advanced machine learning methods that could help surgeons make clinical decisions during a biopsy procedure.

If you care about liver health, please read studies about simple habit that could give you a healthy liver, and common diabetes drug that may reverse liver inflammation.

For more information about health, please see recent studies about simple blood test that could detect your risk of fatty liver disease, and results showing this green diet may strongly lower non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The study is published in Biomedical Optics Express. One author of the study is Evgenii Zherebtsov.

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