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Peter Gordon is developing
a tumor identification system that would make brain surgery
much safer. Randy Mertens photo
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Researcher
Developing Tumor Identification System for Surgery
By Christian Basi
When removing a cancer tumor, doctors often
must cut into healthy tissue to make sure they have removed all
of the cancerous cells. While this is acceptable when a tumor
is lodged in a leg, tumors that reside in the brain or other delicate
areas can create a dilemma for surgeons. Removing healthy brain
cells could result in substantial damage, but a University of
Missouri-Columbia veterinarian
believes he might have the answer.
Peter Gordon, an MU veterinary resident,
is working with terminally ill dogs to discover whether a special
water-based compound can distinguish between brain tumor cells
and healthy cells during surgery. Gordon’s challenge is
to find the right chemical that will highlight all of the cancerous
cells, while not touching the healthy cells.
“Currently, doctors will inject
a contrast agent into the patient and follow the injection with
an MRI or CT scan,” Gordon said. “This technique allows
the doctor to see the approximate location of the tumor and outlying
cancer cells, but we don’t have the ability to do this while
the surgery is taking place.”
Currently, Gordon is testing sodium fluorescein,
a compound that highlights tumor cells, to identify the cancer.
The brain’s blood supply is surrounded by a layer of cells
called the blood-brain barrier. This barrier protects the brain
against many dangerous chemicals or molecules. When a tumor begins
to grow, it creates leaks in the blood-brain barrier allowing
in a variety of compounds, including those that might be dangerous
to the brain. However, Gordon discovered that sodium fluorescein
also can get through the barrier where the tumor has created holes.
Gordon’s preliminary findings indicate
that once through the barrier, sodium fluorescein accumulates
in the area of the tumor cells. The next step is to illuminate
the brain with a special blue light. Under normal surroundings,
sodium fluorescein is invisible, but when illuminated under cobalt
blue light, the compound releases a green light, thus identifying
the cancerous cells, while keeping the healthy cells in the dark.
“So far, we have proven that
the fluid will not identify healthy tissue, and that's a step
in the right direction,” Gordon said. “Now we need
to make sure that all of the cancer cells are illuminated. While
it’s important to make sure we don’t take any healthy
cells, it is just as important to make sure that we eliminate
all the cancerous cells.”
Gordon’s research is funded by a grant
from the Scott Endowed Program in Veterinary Oncology in the Department
of Veterinary Medicine
and Surgery.
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Last Update:
March 12, 2007
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