Cancer screening

New system detects lung cancers earlier

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Verisante Technology Inc. announced that the results of a pilot study on lung cancer detection indicate that the company’s system could set a new standard for the early detection of lung cancer. The findings were published in July in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. The company’s technology was used in the pilot study, which was generously funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Cancer Society.

The ClearVu system is a simultaneous white light and fluorescence real-time video accessory used with a fiberoptic bronchoscope for lung cancer examinations. The ClearVu Elite has the addition of real-time reflectance and fluorescence spectral analysis to assess the malignancy potential of suspicious lesions. The technology is complementary to the Verisante Core which uses rapid Raman spectral analysis for the detection of lung cancer.

Verisante is currently developing a commercial prototype of the laser Raman system, the Verisante Core, licensed from the BC Cancer Agency which, when combined with the ClearVu and ClearVu Elite systems recently acquired from Perceptronics Medical Inc., reduces false positives by over 75% compared to current endoscopic methods. 

The principle investigators of the study to be published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology in July are Dr. Stephen Lam (pictured), Chair of the Lung Tumor Group at BC Cancer Agency, and Dr. Haishan Zeng, Senior Scientist at the BC Cancer Agency’s Integrative Oncology Department.

The title and summary of the article are below:
Using Laser Raman Spectroscopy to Reduce False Positives of Autofluorescence Bronchoscopies: A Pilot Study
Preneoplastic lesions of the bronchial tree have a high probability of developing into malignant tumors. Currently, the best method for localizing them for further treatment is a combined white light bronchoscopy (WLB) and autofluorescence bronchoscopy (AFB) (WLB + AFB). The average specificity from large clinical trials for this combined detection method is approximately 60%, leading to many false positives.

A laser Raman Spectroscopy (LRS) system was developed to collect real-time, in vivo lung spectra with a fiber optic catheter passed down the instrument channel of a bronchoscope. WLB + AFB imaging modalities were used to identify lesions from 26 subjects, from which 129 Raman spectra were measured. Multivariate statistical analyses were performed on the spectra with a leave-one-out cross validation. Clear in vivo Raman spectra were obtained in 1 second.  Preneoplastic lesions were detected with a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 91%.

Conclusion:
Adding point LRS analysis to WLB + AFB imaging has the ability to detect preneoplastic lesions in real-time with high sensitivity and specificity. The use of LRS has great potential for substantially reducing the number of false-positive biopsies associated with WLB + AFB with very little reduction in the detection sensitivity.

Verisante is a medical device company committed to commercializing innovative systems for the early detection of cancer. The Verisante Aura for skin cancer detection and the Verisante Core series for lung, colon and cervical cancer detection utilize a proprietary cancer detection platform while the operating software and probe technology are unique to each device. The cancer detection platform was developed by the BC Cancer Agency and tested and refined on approximately 1,000 lesions at the Skin Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital. This exclusive platform technology allows Verisante to develop and offer a range of compact, non-invasive cancer detection devices that offer physicians’ immediate results for many of the most common cancers.  The Aura and Core have not yet been approved for sale.  The Company anticipates Health Canada approval for the Aura in late 2011.

Posted September 15, 2011