Serac Imaging Systems
Serac Imaging Systems Limited, the medtech company developing a portable hybrid gamma-optical camera for medical imaging, and the University of Malaya Medical Centre, have announced the start of clinical testing using Seracam for image guided surgery in sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures in patients with breast cancer.
The study aims to evaluate the correlation between Seracam and standard gamma probe detection of sentinel lymph nodes. The study is being led by Dr Ng Aik Hao, clinical medical physicist and senior lecturer at the University of Malaya and Professor See Mee Hoong, lecturer and consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon from the University of Malaya Medical Centre, where the study will take place.
Twenty patients will be recruited and images will be acquired using Seracam prior to and during surgery in addition to the normal standard of care imaging before surgery. The study will compare the performance of the camera with the gamma probe used during surgery in terms of overall sentinel node detection rate.
Radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy is a minimally invasive surgical technique which determines the spread of cancer from a primary tumour through the lymphatic system, leading to widespread metastatic disease. Use of this procedure leads to a substantial reduction in patient morbidity and improved outcomes. It is a major prognostic factor in patients and is important in managing patient treatment.
The standard protocol for the sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure in breast cancer uses a radiotracer to identify the location of the sentinel node. A conventional gamma camera situated in a nuclear medicine department is used to image the distribution of the tracer prior to surgery. However, these conventional gamma cameras are very large instruments that cannot be moved, so during surgery the surgeons rely upon a non-imaging gamma probe to localise the uptake of the radiotracer in the node via an audible signal. The small form factor of Seracam enables it to be used for imaging of the nodes during surgery, while the unique hybrid gamma-optical imaging allows the surgeon to map the tracer uptake to physical anatomy in real time during the procedure.
“We are excited to be the first clinic to use Seracam in surgery as we believe imaging using this highly innovative camera could have many practical benefits for sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures. The real-time high resolution fused optical gamma images have the potential to allow the surgeon to make a better assessment of radioisotope localisation in the operating room," said Dr Ng Aik Hao, clinical medical physicist and senior lecturer at the University of Malaya.
Mark Rosser, Chief Executive of Serac Imaging Systems, added: “Seracam delivers game-changing molecular imaging technology at the patient bedside. As well as the fused image overlay, features such as its compact design, light-weight portability and excellent performance in spatial resolution make it ideally suited to image guided surgery. We look forward to working with our esteemed colleagues in Malaysia as the study progresses to evaluate Seracam’s potential to improve patient care in this new clinical setting.”
Sentinel lymph node biopsy is a standard practice in many medical centres worldwide, including Malaysia, in managing early-stage breast cancer patients.
