We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Events

ATTENTION: Due to the COVID-19 PANDEMIC, many events are being rescheduled for a later date, converted into virtual venues, or altogether cancelled. Please check with the event organizer or website prior to planning for any forthcoming event.

Laser Technology Could Advance Thyroid Cancer Screening

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 28 Mar 2016
Print article
A new, low-cost device could enable enhanced information and better diagnosis during thyroid nodule screening.

A multidisciplinary team that includes The Institute for Photonic Sciences (ICFO; Barcelona, Spain), Politecnico di Milano (Milan, Italy), the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom), along with five other European institutions, are collaborating on the laser and ultrasound co-analyzer for thyroid nodules (LUCA) project, which combines two photonics systems, near-infrared (NIR) diffuse correlation spectroscopy and time-resolved spectroscopy, along with a ultrasound system and a probe that enables multimodal data acquisition.

The project, launched to enhance screening of thyroid nodules for thyroid cancer, brings together clinical endocrinologists, radiologists, physicists, engineers, and industry players with the intention of developing a low-cost, point-of-care clinical device. According to the project partners, LUCA represents an innovative new tool for cancer diagnosis, screening, and therapy, and as such could have a significant impact not only in the field of thyroid cancer, but also in additional areas of the body accessible to both techniques.

“The device combines ultrasound and near-infrared diffuse optical technologies in a single device and a probe. By combining information about tissue hemodynamics, chemical constitution as well as anatomy, it will overcome the shortcomings of present techniques while screening for malign thyroid nodules,” said Prof. Turgut Durduran, PhD, of the ICFO, scientific coordinator of LUCA. “If successful, this will save millions of euros over the coming decades and improve the lives of millions of Europeans.”

“A new tool made concomitantly with thyroid ultrasound may provide additional information to help us distinguish between benign and malignant nodules,” said Mireia Mora, MD, of the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS; Barcelona, Spain), responsible for the clinical application of the tool. “This would allow a reduction in the number of surgeries for these reasons, and would have an important socio-economic impact, diminishing the number of surgeries and the associated comorbidities, as well as improving the quality of life of the patients affected.”

Thyroid nodules are a common pathology, with a prevalence of around 5% in women and 1% in men, which increases to 19%–76% with diagnostic neck ultrasound. To exclude thyroid cancer when screening—which occurs in 5%–15% of cases—ultrasound is followed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy of suspicious nodules. In thyroid cancer, the sensitivity and specificity of this process are limited, with a large number of non-diagnostic and false positive results that lead to unnecessary surgery.

Related Links:

Photonic Sciences
Politecnico di Milano
University of Birmingham


New
Gold Supplier
Conductive Gel
Tensive
New
Dose Area Product Measuring System
VacuDAP duo
New
Dosimetry Software
BEAMSCAN Software 4.5
New
Image Acquisition Software
ExamVue Duo

Print article
FIME - Informa
Sun Nuclear -    Mirion

Channels

Radiography

view channel
Image: BiOI ruby-like crystals can improve medical imaging safety by lowering intensities of harmful X-rays (Photo courtesy of University of Cambridge)

Sustainable Solar Cell Material Could Revolutionize Medical Imaging

The use of X-rays for internal body imaging has dramatically changed non-invasive medical diagnostics. Yet, the high dose of X-rays required for these imaging techniques, due to the poor performance of... Read more

MRI

view channel
Image: The AI-powered platform offers a game-changing solution for age-related disease detection and management (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

AI-Driven Imaging Platform Analyzes MRI Data for Early Detection of Age-Related Diseases

The increasing prevalence of age-related illnesses and their effects on patients, healthcare systems, and economies present a substantial challenge in the healthcare sector. As the global population ages,... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: A novel, skull-implantable ultrasound device can open the blood-brain barrier to deliver chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Northwestern Medicine)

Skull-Implantable Ultrasound Device Enables Powerful Chemotherapy Drug to Reach Brain Tumors

A significant challenge in treating lethal brain cancer known as glioblastoma has been the inability of powerful chemotherapy to penetrate the blood-brain barrier to target the aggressive brain tumor.... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: The components of the dosimeter can fit into an 18mm by 7mm capsule (Photo courtesy of University of NUS)

Novel Ingestible Capsule X-Ray Dosimeter Enables Real-Time Radiotherapy Monitoring

Gastric cancer ranks among the most prevalent cancers worldwide. Precision is vital in modern radiotherapy, as it aims to target tumor cells while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. However, challenges... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: The global AI-enabled medical imaging solutions market is expected to reach USD 18.36 billion in 2032 (Photo courtesy of Freepik)

Global AI-Enabled Medical Imaging Solutions Market Driven by Need for Early Disease Detection

The AI-enabled medical imaging solutions market is currently in its developmental stages, following the significant role of AI-based tools in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic saw an upswing... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2023 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.