‘Pen’ device makes cancer ops faster and more accurate

A PEN-LIKE device has been developed to improve the accuracy of pancreatic cancer surgery by making it easier for surgeons to remove only diseased tissue.

To test for cancerous cells, the handheld MasSpec Pen drops a little water onto the tissue. The water extracts molecules from the tissue which are then absorbed by the gadget and analysed within seconds using mass spectrometry imaging.

A study by the University of Texas in the U.S. found the device to be 92 per cent accurate when tested on 157 tissue samples in the lab — and 100 per cent accurate when used during operations. It was also 100 times faster than the current practice of sending a biopsy to a lab for analysis during an operation.