Device holds promise for rapid pancreatic cancer diagnosis

Researchers have recently developed a device that could rapidly diagnose pancreatic cancer.

In a preliminary study presented at the SPIE Photonics West conference (CA, USA), researchers from Washington University (MO, USA) have reported a prototype device to diagnose pancreatic cancer. In 2013, it was reported that 94% of pancreatic cancer patients die within 5 years of diagnosis, making it one of the top 10 deadliest cancers. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed too late for effective treatment, which is one of the key contributors to the high mortality rates.

The device developed by the team uses 3D imaging to analyze biopsies taken from patients. Compared with the current technique for pancreatic cancer diagnosis, which relies upon 2D imaging of thin slices of the biopsy sample, the new technology allows whole tissue analysis. Ronnie Das, the lead author on the study explained the benefits, “As soon as you cut a piece of tissue, you lose information about it. If you can keep the original tissue biopsy intact, you can see the whole story of abnormal cell growth. You can also see connections, cell morphology and structure as it looks in the body.”

The flexible, silicon device is modeled on microfluidic technology and relies upon fluid transport. The prototype is a mold created from a petri dish and Teflon tubes, which represent the channels that the biopsy is deposited into.

The researchers hope that their technology could dramatically decrease the time taken to diagnose pancreatic cancer.

Source: Credit card-sized device could analyze biopsy, help diagnose pancreatic cancer in minutes.