Real-time intraoperative spectroscopic tumor margin detection in robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy on prostate cancer patients

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Surgical removal of the tumor is the front-line therapy and successful patient outcomes rely on removing the most cancer cells possible. ODS Medical's has developed an intra-operative system that uses a hand-held probe to pinpoint cancerous tissue for removal past the margins identified by conventional technologies. Using an optical effect, known as Raman spectroscopy to recognize the molecular signature of cancers, it can distinguish between normal and cancerous tissue, all in a fraction of a second. While original demonstrations were done in the brain, these technologies are by no means limited to brain cancer. We accumulated evidence to support the extension of ODS Medical's cancer detecting probe to Radical Prostatectomy, an important standard of care for patients suffering from prostate cancer. This multi-disciplinary project proposes the engineering development and intraoperative in vivo evaluation of a molecular imaging (Raman spectroscopy and intrinsic tissue fluorescence) robotic platform with the goal of improving cancer detection accuracy during robotic assisted radical prostatectomy procedures on prostate cancer patients. Academic applicants have partnered with ODS Medical, Intuitive Surgical, MEDTEQ, CR-CHUM and the Princess Margaret Cancer Center for this project. Upon success, the project will improve the accuracy and completeness of tumor resections which can have a direct impact on patient survival and quality-of-life as well as lead to a reduction in healthcare costs by reducing inefficiencies and costs of standard surgical procedures. Since 4 out of 5 radical prostatectomies are performed using the Intuitive robotic system, there is a significant potential market for integrating optical imaging technologies which can create important revenue for Canadian startup ODS Medical. The project will also contribute to putting Canada at the forefront of high-tech research.