Clinical trial of a molecular imaging camera and laparoscope for prostate cancer surgery

Forty thousand patients are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK every year, and eleven thousand succumb to the disease. Early detection followed by surgery remains the most effective strategy to combat prostate cancer, yet nearly 1 in 4 patients with localized prostate cancer will see their cancer recur after surgery. Prostate cancer recurs after surgery primarily due to incomplete excision of the cancer. Surgeons are unable to completely remove the cancerous tissue because the naked eye cannot detect small cancer deposits. Further, sparing the nerves responsible for erectile function and urinary continence is a high priority. Consequently, there is a tremendous medical need for more sensitive tools to detect cancer during surgery.
Lightpoint Medical is developing a molecular imaging camera and laparoscope to detect cancer in real-time during surgery, and thereby reduce the chance of cancer recurring. The technology is based on Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging (CLI), a ground-breaking imaging modality that can perform optical imaging of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging agents. In this project we propose to conduct a pilot clinical trial for the CLI camera and laparoscope in prostate cancer surgery. The trial results will be used to assess the performance of the devices compared to gold-standard pathology, and to develop the next iteration of the products. Additionally, the UCL Centre for Medical Image Computing will research and develop an improved image processing module for the Lightpoint device.