Handheld device helps spot oral cancer

	Tweet

The Visually Enhanced Lesion Scope (dubbed VELscope)—a handheld device that emits blue light—is useful for detecting oral cancer, Canadian researchers report in the Journal of Biomedical Optics.

One of the main problems with oral cancer, lead investigator Dr. Pierre M. Lane told Reuters Health, “has been identifying changes in the mouth that require referral to oral medicine specialists for assessment and treatment.”

The VELscope, he added, “was developed to provide a simple, handheld device for dentists and other health professionals to help in such decision making, by helping them to identify cancers and pre-cancers that would otherwise not be detected.”

Lane, at the British Columbia Research Center, Vancouver, and colleagues conducted a pilot study of the VELscope, which uses blue light to cause fluorescence in oral tissue. Normal and abnormal tissues show different responses.

The researchers tested the device in 44 patients with a history of oral cancer or precancerous lesions. The device was nearly 100 percent accurate in distinguishing these abnormalities from healthy nearby tissue.

The poor prognosis with oral cancer, concluded Lane, is “largely due to the late identification of the disease. Early detection is a key factor in improving the incidence of this disease and the quality of life for those affected.”

The researchers are currently conducting a larger follow-up study of the device.

SOURCE: Journal of Biomedical Optics, March/April 2006.

RELATED STORIES:
5 Ways to Spot and Stop Smoking-Related Cancers   Burning incense increases risk of respiratory tract cancers   New Method of Jaw Reconstruction for Oral Cancer Patients   Smoking increases risk for root canal treatment   Does Green Tea Prevent Cancer? Evidence Continues to Brew, But Questions Remain   Saliva RNA test for oral cancer   Outcomes after recurrence of oral cancer vary by timing, site   SIBLING proteins may predict oral cancer   MicroRNA in human saliva may help diagnose oral cancer   Avocados May Help Prevent Oral Cancer   HPV-Positive Tumor Status Indicates Better Survival in Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer   Oropharyngeal cancer patients experience post-surgery sleep apnea   Green Tea Shows Promise as Chemoprevention Agent for Oral Cancer   New ‘dentist’ test to detect oral cancer will save lives   Oral Cancer Screenings at Dental Checkups Are Cost-Effective   Unique Surgery Creates Fully Usable Tongue   Oral cancer deaths declining among well-educated   Gene may hold key to reducing spread of oral cancers   Blue light used to harden tooth fillings stunts tumor growth   Ten Minutes That Could Save Your Life   New approaches to the diagnosis of oral cancer   Saliva proteins could help detection of oral cancer

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]