early diagnosis of prostate cancer

Early Diagnosis Of Prostate Cancer

Treating prostate cancer is a race against time. By the time the

patient can feel the first symptoms, the disease has usually spread

too far. A novel diagnostic technique combines optical imaging with

ultrasound, thus improving early diagnosis.

By the time the first symptoms of prostate cancer become apparent, the

tumor has usually spread too far and there is little hope of curing

it. Early diagnosis can help to save lives. While CAT scans, X-rays

and magnetic resonance devices can frequently detect tumors in time,

the cost of routine examinations is often too high, and the devices

are not always sensitive enough. Ultrasound is a cost-efficient

alternative, but is not very reliable.

A novel, cost-efficient and sensitive device will soon increase the

number of early diagnoses of prostate cancer and offer more patients

the prospect of recovery. This diagnostic device was developed by

researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Biomedical Technology IBMT

in St. Ingbert in collaboration with partners from five European

countries. The European Commission is funding the project to the tune

of 2.2 million euros. "We use a combination of two different imaging

techniques: optical imaging and ultrasound," says IBMT department

manager Dr. Robert Lemor. "We shine laser light into the tissue,

causing it to heat up and expand. This generates pressure in the form

of a sound wave, which spreads through the tissue in much the same way

as ultrasound and is also detected in the same way." The researchers

thus combine the good contrast of light with the good spatial

resolution of sound, using the advantages of both systems.

In order to detect cancer cells at an early stage, however, the

researchers require an even stronger contrast between cancerous and

healthy cells. "We achieve this by using gold particles just a few

nanometers in size. Gold absorbs the laser's infrared light much

better than the cells, and therefore appears brighter in the picture,"

says Lemor. The researchers attach antibodies to the gold particles,

and these antibodies bond with specific proteins. These occur several

thousand times more frequently in cancer cells than in healthy tissue.

"This means that the gold accumulates specifically around the cancer

cells, while hardly any gold is found on healthy cells," explains

Lemor. The gold particles not only serve diagnostic purposes but can

also be used for therapy. If the laser output is increased and the

tissue is irradiated for a longer period, the gold heats up and the

generated heat destroys the cancer cells. Healthy tissue is not

affected, as hardly any gold accumulates in it. The researchers will

present the prototype of this diagnostic and therapeutic device at the

Medica trade fair (Hall 10, Stand F05) in D�sseldorf from November 14

to 17. If all goes well, says Lemor, the clinical study could begin in

about two to three years.

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