Hyper-Spectral Imaging of Tissue to Assist in Pathological Inferences

Each year, nearly half of all patients diagnosed with cancer undergo surgery to have their tumours removed. During these procedures, not only is the cancerous tissue taken out, but a margin of healthy tissue is also removed to ensure no cancerous cells are left behind. After the removal, pathologists closely examine the tissue to determine if all the cancer has been removed. This means there is a delay where patients remain under anaesthesia while the surgeons await the results, which can be time-consuming.

The team at Swansea University is pioneering a game-changing technique using hyper-spectral imaging (HSI). This innovative approach uses near-infrared light to almost instantly differentiate between cancerous and healthy tissues. Imagine a surgeon being able to instantly 'see' where the cancer ends and healthy tissue begins! This would drastically reduce surgery time and increase the precision of tumour removals.

The aim of the research is to perfect this HSI method. The team will use a special array of tissue samples to train a computer model in distinguishing between cancerous and healthy tissues. Moreover, they will compare the HSI results with traditional tissue examination methods to ensure accuracy. 

The eventual aim is to test this method on freshly removed tissues during actual surgeries, ultimately revolutionising cancer surgery and boosting survival rates.