New Technique To Detect Cancer In Earliest Stages

New Technique To Detect Cancer In Earliest Stages

A new technique has been developed at Singapore's National University Hospital to detect cancer in its earliest stages, a team of researchers said on Saturday.

The hospital is conducting a trial involving 58 patients, 12 of whom are receiving treatment after the 'optical biopsy' diagnosed them with early-stage cervical cancer.

The technique detects pre-cancers or collections of a few hundred malignant cells among millions of healthy cells.

Pap smears, the usual method used to test for cancer in the cervix, do not detect these pre-cancers, assistant professor Huang Zhiwei, the project leader, told The Straits Times.

Using light waves near the infrared region of the spectrum, the team reported they were able to accurately detect early tumours deep beneath the tissue surface.

The radiation targets specific proteins and carbohydrates in the cells, Huang said.

Varying combinations of biochemical molecules create a 'fingerprint,' helping clinicians determine whether the cell is normal or not, he was quoted as saying.

Conventional methods of optical testing used normal white light or ultraviolet light.

White light allows doctors to view only late-stage tumours that have already caused abnormalities on the tissue surface, Huang said. Ultraviolet light cannot penetrate far into the tissue.

The new technique can eventually be applied to almost any cancer, but not without more clinical trials, he added.>