New surgical knife can instantly detect cancer

[cali]

Surgeons may have a new way to smoke out cancer.

An experimental surgical knife can help surgeons make sure they've removed all the cancerous tissue, doctors reported Wednesday. Surgeons typically use knives that heat tissue as they cut, producing a sharp-smelling smoke. The new knife analyzes the smoke and can instantly signal whether the tissue is cancerous or healthy.

Now surgeons have to send the tissue to a lab and wait for the results.

Dr. Zoltan Takats of Imperial College London suspected the smoke produced during cancer surgery might contain some important cancer clues. So he designed a ‘‘smart’’ knife hooked up to a refrigerator-sized mass spectrometry device on wheels that analyzes the smoke from cauterizing tissue.

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http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/2013/07/17/new-surgical-knife-can-instantly-detect-cancer/WeC7vmWiQay8OUMdU2OW1L/story.html

[JimDandy]

1. "The smart knife correctly spotted cancer in every case"! n/ t

[krispos42]

2. Awesome. And innovative.

[area51]

3. U.S.

If we could only get this technology in the U.S., along with the right to health care and start saving lives instead of the insurance agencies denying health care.