One of the problems with cancer is that it is hard to remove all of the tumor that is present in the body. If all of the cancerous tumor is not removed then the tumor has a very likely chance of growing back and causing even more problems for the patient. Recently, researchers at Imperial College have been developing a smart knife that uses a spectrometer to show the surgeon what type of tissue they are cutting into and whether it is cancerous or not. The knife is planned to be put into experimental trials in the near future.
Link to the original article with more information on the knife: https://www.yahoo.com/tech/s/intelligent-knife-helps-surgeons-sniff-125251261.html
I think that it is really cool that today's technology allows for people to develop products like this. I know that the re-occurrence of cancer is a serious problem. I have a great aunt that has gone through 3 or 4 rounds of cancer and has finally shaked it off. I would assume that for some types of cancer it is hard to distinguish the cancerous tissue from the non-cancerous tissue. The knife will make it easier for surgeons to remove all of the cancerous tissue. I think that the knife will help the surgeons to not cut tissue that is important. There have been cases where tissue has been cut off that caused patients to suffer from life long problems. This could be especially apparent in brain surgery, as cutting the wrong tissue in the brain could end someones life or leave them with severe mental and physical debilitation.
Hopefully the product ends up doing what it is projected to do. I think that it has great potential and that it could help save thousands of lives.
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