A new technique has been developed at Singapore's National University Hospital to detect cancer in its early stages, researchers said Saturday.
The hospital is conducting a trial involving 58 patients, 12 of whom are receiving treatment after the "optical biopsy" diagnosed them with early-stage cervical cancer.
The technique detects pre-cancers or collections of a few hundred malignant cells among millions of healthy cells.
Pap smears, the usual method used to test for cancer in the cervix, do not detect these pre-cancers, Huang Zhiwei, the project leader, told The Straits Times.
Using light waves near the infrared region of the spectrum, the team reported they were able to accurately detect early tumours deep beneath the tissue surface.
The radiation targets specific proteins and carbohydrates in the cells, Huang said.
Varying combinations of biochemical molecules create a "fingerprint", helping in determining whether the cell is normal or not, he said.
Conventional methods of optical testing used normal white light or ultraviolet light.
White light allows doctors to view only late-stage tumours that have already caused abnormalities on the tissue surface, Huang said. Ultraviolet light cannot penetrate far into the tissue.
The new technique can eventually be applied to almost any cancer though it would still require more clinical trials, he added.
New Delhi, February 4 -- The lethal swine flu influenza shows no sign of abating as new cases of H1N1 related deaths and infections continue to surface every day. With five more lives being snuffed out Wednesday, the death toll in the nation has reached 1,243 so far.
The major culprits behind dull and stained teeth are tobacco, coffee, cavities, aging, and drugs. While some of the causes of these stains are not in our control, others are.
Common cold and seasonal flu are likely to follow the arrival of the winter season. And given that H1N1 strain is also here and even declared a pandemic by World Health Organization (WHO), confusion as to what is it that they are up against abounds among the masses.
There are a number of different explanations about what the G-spot actually is. Practitioners of tantric sex have been talking about this 'sacred spot' for over 1,000 years.
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