New Scan 'Sees' Tumors Deep Inside Body Imaging technique could
help surgeons remove all cancerous tissue WEDNESDAY, April 2
(HealthDay News) -- Stanford University researchers have
developed a new imaging system that illuminates tumors deep
inside the body and lets doctors view details 1,000 times
smaller than previously possible. Raman spectroscopy uses tiny
nanoparticles injected into the body to serve as beacons for
lasers, according to a description the method published in this
week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences. When a laser beam outside the body hits them, the
specialized particles emit signals that can be converted into a
visible indicator of their location in the body. These strong,
long-lived signals can simultaneously transmit information about
multiple molecular targets. "Usually we can measure one or two
things at a time," senior author Dr. Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, a
professor of radiology at Stanford's School of Medicine, said in
a prepared statement. "With thi