Clinical testing of Seracam in image-guided surgery begins

Serac Imaging Systems and the University of Malaya Medical Centre have begun clinical testing using Seracam for image-guided surgery in sentinel lymph node biopsy procedures in patients with breast cancer.

The study aims to evaluate the correlation between Seracam and standard gamma probe detection of sentinel lymph nodes. The study is being led by clinical medical physicist and senior lecturer at the university Dr Ng Aik Hao and lecturer and consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon Professor See Mee Hoong from the medical centre, where the study will take place.

Twenty patients will be recruited and images will be acquired using Seracam prior to and during surgery in addition to the normal standard of care imaging before surgery. The study will compare the performance of the camera with the gamma probe used during surgery in terms of overall sentinel node detection rate.

Radioguided sentinel lymph node biopsy is a minimally invasive surgical technique that determines the spread of cancer from a primary tumour through the lymphatic system, leading to widespread metastatic disease. Use of this procedure leads to a substantial reduction in patient morbidity and improved outcomes. It is a major prognostic factor in patients and is important in managing patient treatment.

The standard protocol for the sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure in breast cancer uses a radiotracer to identify the location of the sentinel node. A conventional gamma camera in a nuclear medicine department is used to image the distribution of the tracer prior to surgery. However, these cameras are very large instruments that cannot be moved, so during surgery surgeons rely upon a non-imaging gamma probe to localise the uptake of the radiotracer in the node via an audible signal. The small form factor of Seracam enables it to be used for imaging of the nodes during surgery, while the hybrid gamma-optical imaging allows the surgeon to map the tracer uptake to physical anatomy in real-time during the procedure.

Serac Imaging Systems ceo Mark Rosser said: “Seracam delivers game-changing molecular imaging technology at the patient bedside. As well as the fused image overlay, features such as its compact design, lightweight portability and excellent performance in spatial resolution make it ideally suited to image-guided surgery.

“We look forward to working with our esteemed colleagues in Malaysia as the study progresses to evaluate Seracam’s potential to improve patient care in this new clinical setting.”

Picture: Scientific advisor and one of the original inventors of the camera Professor Alan Perkins with Dr Ng Aik Hao, Professor See Mee Hoong and colleagues from the University of Malaya Medical Centre.

Published on page 25 of the July 2024 issue of RAD Magazine.