Purdue Develops Cancer Detecting Laser

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(WEST LAFAYETTE) - Purdue researchers say they’ve developed a laser that can detect cancer.

Scientists at Purdue and the Mayo Clinic say the laser is not only less invasive than drawing blood, it can find tumor cells more accurately than the now-standard blood test, CT scan or MRI. It can also quantify how many cancer cells are in the bloodstream -- that lets doctors calibrate chemotherapy dosage more precisely.

The process relies on a chemical that makes five types of cancer glow under the laser: ovarian, kidney, prostate, non-small-cell lung, and endometrial.

Researchers say the laser scans veins just under the skin, and can look at a tenth of a liter of blood -- about ten times the amount in a typical blood draw. That increases the odds early-stage cancer would be spotted.

The next step is to start a clinical trial.

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