Optical imaging helps detect cancer during surgery

Sedigheh Marjaneh Hejazi, the project manager, told MNA correspondent that the system designed for optical imaging during surgery draws a sentinel lymph node mapping by using blue pigments or radioactive material.

In breast cancer, once cancer cells reach lymph nodes, they reduce 5 years from the patient’s life span in 28-40 percent of cases. It has been proved that with the increase of the metastasis of lymph nodes, the likelihood of achieving success in treatment will drop. For this reason, a sentinel lymph node mapping can prove very effective in detecting cancer and finding the most appropriate method for treatment.

“By using radioactive material in this system, we can better evaluate and draw up a more accurate map of lymph nodes,” she said.

“It takes a while for the injected radioactive material to reach the lymph nodes; for this reason, the material based on the size of the particle is injected 24 hours before surgery. This delays the surgery and the patient is exposed to ionizing radiation,” she explained.

“The intended area is then put under laser and after the stimulation, quantum dot begins emitting in the near-infrared region. The optical data is then received by highly sensitive CCD cameras,” she added.

Noting that the data will finally be transferred to computers to turn into images by using certain programs, Hejazi added “a better distinguishing capability and invisible infrared radiation that does not affect the surgeon’s vision are among the benefits of this method.”

“The system has two main parts including the source and detector which are attached to two moving arms so that they can be adaptable to the operation room,” she explained. “The arm attached to the optical source includes a laser with lenses and attenuators. The lenses help the surgeon to light the area under operation by the optical source.”

Hejazi noted that so far the system has been tested on animals, expressing hope that their designed imaging system would be installed in hospitals and universities of medical sciences by late April.

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