Cancer Cells Detected Using $400 Digital Camera 90
fergus07 writes "Researchers have detected oral cancer cells using a fiber-optic cable and an off-the-shelf Olympus E-330 camera worth $400. The work by Rice University biomedical engineers and researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center could improve access to diagnostic imaging tools in many parts of the world where these expensive resources are scarce. In the tests, a common fluorescent dye was used to make cell nuclei glow brightly and images were taken using the tip of the fiber-optic bundle attached to the camera. The distorted nuclei, which indicate cancerous and pre-cancerous cells, could then be distinguished on the camera's LCD monitor."
IIAP(athology resident) (Score:2, Interesting)
... or rather, was, until I discovered how boring staring down a microscope every day actually was, jumped ship, and rejoined the land of the living. What working as a pathology resident did teach me, however, is just how fucking complicated cancer diagnosis is and how incredibly smart pathologists are. These guys have 5 straight years of pushing pushing glass and reading textbooks, and often have a completely encyclopedic knowledge of disease and cell morphology. Absolutely useless in the real world, and only useful when you are staring down a microscope trying to come up with a diagnosis.
Certainly the haphazard arrangement of cells and dysmorphic nuclei/prominent nucleoli can be one indication that something is malignant, but lets be honest: if some guy took a sample of your nasal mucosa and used his 400 dollar camera to determine that something up your nose was cancer, would that really be enough for you go to: "Alright. Sign me up for terribly invasive and debilitating surgery. That's enough proof for me." As a point of care screening tool to limit unecessary biopsies? Maybe, but it would really have to be quite sensitive (rules out appropriately). For true diagnostic purposes? No way.
A proper diagnosis can often involve multiple chemical stains and immunostains, and for high stakes diagnosis like cancer, often involves having multiple pathologists at multiple institutions look at the slides. So anything that offers some quick solution like this is disingenuous.
not exactly $400... (Score:1, Interesting)