Developing a prototype of a miniaturised electron cancer detection probe for robotic surgery

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men with 12,000 men in the UK dying from the disease every year. 130 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every day. Over the past 30 years, incidence of the disease has soared by over 40% with further increases predicted to 2035\.

Surgery remains the primary treatment option for prostate cancer but is very often unsuccessful, largely due to the incomplete removal of cancerous tissue during an operation. In particular, cancerous cells around the primary tumour and lymph node metastases can be frequently missed during surgery.

Surgeons often fail to remove all the cancer because there is no way to accurately detect cancer during surgery. They are completely dependent on their naked eye and sense of touch to identify all cancerous tissue. With the move towards minimally invasive, robotic surgery, surgeons are increasingly losing even their ability to use their sense of touch. Numerous technologies have attempted to address the pressing medical need to find cancer during surgery, but none have proven sufficiently accurate and cost-effective.

Lightpoint Medical has developed an _in-vivo_ probe to detect prostate cancer intra-operatively. The device detects electron signals from an imaging agent administered to the patient prior to surgery which concentrates in cancerous cells. The electron signal has a small penetrative depth and therefore can accurately guide surgeons to any remaining cancerous tissues surrounding the tumour site, providing such precision to ensure the full removal of cancer and enable, where possible, the retention of healthy, functional tissue. The technology promises a complete transformation of outcomes for prostate cancer patients. Proof-of-concept for the probe has been achieved with a highly innovative and sophisticated data processing algorithm to ensure a clear signal from electron emissions to the exclusion of the background gamma signals. This project is a 12-month work programme to miniaturise the technology to a scale compatible with contemporary keyhole, robotic surgery. The outcome of the project will be a working prototype ready for pre-clinical validation.