HELSINKI, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Finnish researchers have developed a device that assists in the identification of cancerous tissue during surgery, which is expected to reduce the risk of cancer recurrence, the University of Eastern Finland said in a press release issued on Thursday.
According to the release, the first in-human clinical trials of the device known as aspirate tissue monitor have been initiated at Kuopio University Hospital.
The monitor is attached to a surgical suction tube routinely used in the operation, through which the tissue is removed. With the tissue monitor, the surgeon receives near real-time information about the actual content of the removed tissue. The device identifies tumor tissue based on fluorescence.
The use of the device is expected to improve tumor removal rates and reduce the need for local reoperations. This would result in savings and better outcomes for patients, the release said.
"Our goal is to refine the technique into a golden standard for fluorescence-guided surgery," Antti-Pekka Elomaa, adjunct professor of experimental neurosurgery and chairman of the Board of Marginum, commented.
The tissue monitoring technique was developed by the Finnish startup company Marginum. It is based on interdisciplinary research conducted by the University of Eastern Finland, the Neurosurgery Department of Kuopio University Hospital and the Microsurgery Centre of Eastern Finland. ■