Scientists at Missouri University have devised a new way of telling whether lymph nodes have become cancerous with melanoma, a malignant tumour and one of the deadliest forms of cancer, causing three-quarters of all skin cancer deaths.
Lymph nodes are vital to the functioning of the immune system, and can help doctors determine treatment and prognosis in cancer cases.
Currently, examining lymph nodes for cancer takes a lot of effort and time. With the new method, a laser-based ultrasound, called the photoacoustic method, the process is more efficient and accurate.
A tabletop device scans a lymph node biopsy with laser pulses. Most melanoma cells contain the skin pigment melanin, and they respond to the laser by absorbing the light. The laser makes the cells heat and cool quickly, so they expand and contract, creating a popping noise which special sensors pick up. The whole biopsy can be examined to identify where in the node there is cancer.
“This method can help us determine if the cancer has spread from stage 2, where the melanoma is still just in the skin lesion, to stage 3, where the melanoma has spread to the lymph nodes” said John Viator, assistant professor in the Department of Biological Engineering and Department of Dermatology at Missouri University.
Source: University of Missoouri news page.
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