WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- A microscope that offers 3-D analysis of tissue samples might reduce the number of needle biopsies to detect breast cancer in women, a U.S. study found.
Researchers at Washington's Georgetown University Medical Center's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center said such an instant test would mean that physicians could immediately tell if they have collected adequate samples of breast tissue, and limit the number of repeat biopsies.
Lead investigator Maddalena T. Tilli said physicians currently extract six to eight tissue samples during a needle biopsy procedure to ensure proper sampling, and it takes at least one day to prepare the samples for analysis. The new technology would allow analysis in "real time."
"With this microscope, we can tell instantly whether we have cancer cells or not, or what kind of cells we are looking at, whether they are fat, structural, or epithelial cells that line breast milk ducts -- all of this could give us a great advantage in treating breast cancer," Tilli said in a statement.
The findings are published in the Journal of Biomedical Optics.
