A Hand-Held PET Imaging Camera for Intra-Operative Use

Abstract The goal of this project is to improve surgical treatment of cancer by developing an intraoperative high sensitivity hand held PET imaging instrument that will assist surgeons to plan and execute the surgery with the confidence provided by current and descriptive D images of tumors co registered to the live image of the patient An intraoperative PET imaging camera able to provide imaging sensitivities similar to full PET scanners but in a much smaller hand held package will give surgeons access to the highest molecular imaging sensitivity technique available to expedisiously locate and identify tumors during surgery and following excision to verify surgical cavity to insure no cancerous tissue is left behind We expect that this imager will reduce significantly the residual tumors following tumor excisions The system will also be able to document the procedure by seamlessly saving D images taken before during and after the surgery Our aim is to demonstrate that a using the proposed system during surgeries a fold reduction in readmissions within a weeks time interval following first surgery is achieved when compared with the standard of care Currently in average in women treated of breast cancer by lumpectomies require readmission within weeks Narrative The objective of this project is to improve surgical treatment of cancer by developing an intraoperative high sensitivity hand held PET imaging instrument that will assist surgeons to find and locate expeditiously cancerous tissue during surgeries We expect that the use of this system by surgeons will reduce significantly the residual tumor cells following excisions leading to reduced readmissions reduced cancer recurrence and better overall surgical outcomes All these benefits will contribute to lower our nationandapos s overall healthcare costs