University of Arkansas

Steven E Harms

V Suzanne Klimberg

Sohelia Korourian

Gal Shafirstein

Soheila Korourian

David M Cardwell

The present invention provides a treatment method to excise a cancerous lesion, such as in the breast, with subsequent ablation of the margin. The method provides for location and excision with ablation under open guidance or guided imaging and for diagnosis by cytology. The method may be a minimally, invasive same day method with diagnosis before or immediately after excision. Also provided is a method of treating close or positive margins of an excisional site of a cancerous lesion in a breast by ablating the margin while monitoring the fluorescence of a fluorophor at the site to determine when ablation of the close or positive margin has occurred.

Minimally invasive diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer

The present invention provides a minimally invasive, comprehensive same-day diagnosis and treatment method to remove tumor and ablate margins in breast cancer patients, comprising disease diagnosis by MRI and touch preparation cytology, followed by tumor removal and ablation of tumor margins.

Minimally invasive treatment for breast cancer

A novel method of hematoma-directed ultrasound guided excisional breast biopsy is disclosed. In one aspect of the inventon, the hematoma is produced by an injection of the patient's own blood into a pre-selected area to target a lesion. Detection of the targeted lesion and hematoma is achieved with MRI. In a second aspect of the invention, the hematoma is produced by stereotactic core needle breast biopsy in a pre-selected area, and the targeted lesion and hematoma are detected using intraoperative ultrasound. The method avoids many of the disadvantages associated with traditional needle localized breast biopsy. The method can also be used to guide the excision of lesions visualized by MRI, ultrasound, mammography, PET scanning, and scintimammography. The method may be used in any organ and, in particular, the breast.

Method for detecting and excising nonpalpable lesions

A stereotactic device for localizing an MRI-imaged mass using horizontal and vertical protractors on which a laser is mounted. The protractors and laser are mounted on a table which may be positioned horizontally and vertically with respect to the patient table. The portion of the patient's body being imaged is fixed by a compression plate to which a reference target is mounted. The reference target incorporates a substance which is strongly imaged by the MRI. The compression plate comprises an array of relatively large apertures through which the radiologist may guide an instrument. From the MRI images, the radiologist takes an angle between the reference target and the suspect mass from each of two perpendicular planes and inputs these angles into the protractors of the stereotactic device. The table of the stereotactic device is adjusted horizontally or vertically with respect to the patient table so that the beam of the laser aligns with the reference target. The reference target is then removed from the compression plate so that the laser beam illuminates an entry point on the patient's body. The laser beam is thus aligned along a trajectory from the entry point to the suspect mass. The radiologist is then able to simply follow the laser beam with a biopsy needle or other instrument to make consistent arrival at the site of the suspect mass.

Growing community of inventors

Little Rock, AR, United States of America

Steven E Harms