Optics for the diagnosis of skin cancer
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February 1, 2017DIAGNOPTICS is a European project coordinated by the CD6 and aimed at the development of photonic-based optical devices and clinical procedures for improving the diagnosis and prognosis of skin cancer.
The project has consisted of the design and development of a new platform in vivo which includes four different optical devices: a multispectral device and a scanner, an OFI imaging system, and a confocal reflectance microscope. Both the multispectral device and the scanner have been developed by CD6 applying its own technology for the three-dimensional representation of the body through multispectral images, which allows obtaining images of the skin with the highest level of detail.
This platform has been implemented as a pilot service in two European hospitals: Hospital Clínic de Barcelona and Azienda Ospedaliero Policlinico di Modena de la University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Unimore) in Italy). The in vivo platform has been validated in patients from both hospitals by examining more than 600 different lesions of a wide range of types: melanomas, BCCs ( Basal Cell Carcinoma ), SCC ( Squamous Cell Carcinoma ), seborrheic keratosis, nevus ... The in vivo platform has allowed a more complete and accurate characterization of the lesion than the methods currently used. Also, promising results have been obtained in discriminating between nevus and malignant lesions, with sensitivities and specificities beyond dermatoscopy.
The project also included ex vivo analysis of suspicious excised tissues, using a confocal scanning microscope. The tests were performed in the same hospitals. This device means a revolution in surgical practice for its ability to determine tumor margins with high accuracy, surpassing the current histopathological method that requires its execution outside the operating room and at the same time, considerably reducing the time required.
The project, which has a budget of 4.7 million euros, has been carried out thanks to funding received by the European Union and has involved hospitals, companies and research centers in Spain, Germany, France and Italy.
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