Partnerships Using Optical Imaging to Fight Cancer

Experts believe the hospitals could save money and reduce waiting times if optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was used instead of taking a biopsy.

As a result, two leading UK hospitals have teamed up with Michelson Diagnostics, Ltd. (MDL; Kent) in the fight against cancer. Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and University College London Hospital (UCLH) are both eager to evaluate MDL's latest medical imaging system for research into rapid in-vivo identification of cancers affecting the cervix, esophagus, skin, lung, and other organs.

The new Michelson Diagnostics scanner employs optical coherence tomography (OCT) to visualize tissue structure in real time below the surface of a scanned organ. OCT makes this possible at far higher resolution than is possible with ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.

At Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Dr. Nick Stone, consultant clinical scientist in biophotonics research, will use the scanner to look at cervical and esophageal tumor tissue. "My team want to assess how useful OCT imaging could be in helping clinicians to diagnose, monitor, and target the treatment of cancer,” said Dr Stone. "The next step will be to repeat the tests in-vivo. We believe the NHS [National Health Service] could reduce costs and waiting times with the clinical implementation of OCT, both for biopsy targeting and real-time diagnostics.”

Dr. Colin Hopper, head of maxillofacial surgery at UCLH, is eager to obtain in-vivo images of basal-cell skin carcinomas with the Michelson Diagnostics system. "We are very excited about the breakthrough in image quality that this system offers,” Dr. Hopper said. "OCT could revolutionize the surveillance of pre-cancers in the mouth by eliminating waiting for biopsy results and by minimizing surgery for cancer through improved disease mapping, all while maximizing cure rates.”

The research programs are due to start in late March 2007. They will last at least four months and will compare OCT scans taken with the Michelson Diagnostics equipment with histology from the same tissue samples from a sizeable range of patients.


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