SBIR-STTR Award

The goal of this project is to improve surgical treatment of cancer by developing an intraoperative high sensitivity hand-held PET imaging instrument that will assist surgeons to plan and execute the surgery with the confidence provided by current and descriptive 3-D images of tumors co-registered to the live image of the patient. An intraoperative PET imaging camera able to provide imaging sensitivities similar to full PET scanners, but in a much smaller hand-held package, will give surgeons access to the highest molecular imaging sensitivity technique available to expedisiously locate and identify tumors during surgery, and following excision, to verify surgical cavity to insure no cancerous tissue is left behind. We expect that this imager will reduce significantly the residual tumors following tumor excisions. The system will also be able to document the procedure by seamlessly saving 3-D images taken before, during and after the surgery. Our aim is to demonstrate that a using the proposed system during surgeries, a 5 fold reduction in readmissions within a 6 weeks’ time interval following first surgery is achieved when compared with the standard of care. Currently, in average, 1 in 4 women treated of breast cancer by lumpectomies require readmission within 6 weeks.

Public Health Relevance Statement:
Narrative The objective of this project is to improve surgical treatment of cancer by developing an intraoperative high sensitivity hand-held PET imaging instrument that will assist surgeons to find and locate expeditiously cancerous tissue during surgeries. We expect that the use of this system by surgeons will reduce significantly the residual tumor cells following excisions, leading to reduced readmissions, reduced cancer recurrence and better overall surgical outcomes. All these benefits will contribute to lower our nation's overall healthcare costs.

Project Terms:
abstracting; Area; Bombesin; breast lumpectomy; cancer recurrence; cancer surgery; cancer therapy; Cancerous; CdZnTe; Collimator; Computer software; contrast imaging; Data; Detection; detector; Electronics; Engineering; Environment; Excision; FOLH1 gene; Gamma Rays; Goals; Hand; Health Care Costs; Image; Image Reconstructions; Imaging Device; imaging system; improved; improved outcome; instrument; interest; kinematics; Label; Laboratories; Left; Life; Ligands; malignant breast neoplasm; Malignant neoplasm of prostate; Malignant Neoplasms; Measurement; millimeter; molecular imaging; neoplastic cell; Neuroendocrine Tumors; Noise; Nuclear; Operative Surgical Procedures; Outcome; Patients; Performance; Phase; Positioning Attribute; Positron-Emission Tomography; Procedures; Process; Prostatectomy; prototype; Reading; Residual Tumors; Resolution; Security; Signal Transduction; Small Cell Carcinoma; small molecule; Source; Speed; standard of care; Surgeon; Surgical margins; System; Techniques; Testing; Three-Dimensional Image; Time; time interval; Tissues; tool; Tracer; tumor; Woman; Work