Finding and resecting proper margins in tumors from soft tissue is a harder challenge than it seems, since diseased and normal tissue often look completely identical. Intraoperative pathology is used to visualize samples removed by the surgeon to make sure the entire tumor is gone. Yet, this technique works poorly with breast tissue that is high in fat content: it does not freeze well nor is it easy to slice without smudging. A team of Johns Hopkins graduate students noted the problem and developed a device that can hold onto a sample and slice it well enough for a pathologist to review.
The device relies on sticking an adhesive tape on top of the sample before slicing, providing stability and cohesion that prevents the sample from smudging. Here’s one of the students presenting the novel device:
JHU press statement: Johns Hopkins Students’ Device Aims to Avert Repeated Breast Cancer Surgeries…