New perspectives on cancer surgery
Instead of the classic scalpel, surgeons can also operate with an electroscalpel. A significant advantage to this technique is that while a cut is being made, blood vessels are closed off and haemorrhaging eliminated. Now another advantage may be added as well: a German-Hungarian research team has developed a mass-spectrometry-based technique by which tissues can be analysed during a surgical procedure. As the team led by Zoltan Takats reports in the journal Angewandte Chemie, it may be possible to distinguish between malignant tumour cells and the surrounding healthy tissue in real time during cancer surgery. Until now, precise histological examination of the removed tissue has followed after tumour surgery, and has required several days. If it reveals that the tumour has not been completely removed, a second operation is needed. The new method may spare patients this second surgery in the future...