Prostate Cancer Detection with a Tactile Resonance Sensor—Measurement Considerations and Clinical Setup

Abstract

Tumors in the human prostate are usually stiffer compared to surrounding non-malignant glandular tissue, and tactile resonance sensors measuring stiffness can be used to detect prostate cancer. To explore this further, we used a tactile resonance sensor system combined with a rotatable sample holder where whole surgically removed prostates could be attached to detect tumors on, and beneath, the surface ex vivo. Model studies on tissue phantoms made of silicone and porcine tissue were performed. Finally, two resected human prostate glands were studied. Embedded stiff silicone inclusions placed 4 mm under the surface could be detected in both the silicone and biological tissue models, with a sensor indentation of 0.6 mm. Areas with different amounts of prostate cancer (PCa) could be distinguished from normal tissue (p < 0.05), when the tumor was located in the anterior part, whereas small tumors located in the dorsal aspect were undetected. The study indicates that PCa may be detected in a whole resected prostate with an uneven surface and through its capsule. This is promising for the development of a clinically useful instrument to detect prostate cancer during surgery.

A tactile resonance sensor for prostate cancer detection – evaluation on human prostate tissue

“…The mean prostate stiffness (∂Δf/∂F) on the logarithmic scale (p=0.015) and the standardized z-scores of stiffness within prostates (p=0.025) were both statistically significant predictors for cancer. This supports earlier studies indicating possible cancer detection with resonance sensors (Jalkanen et al 2006a, Jalkanen et al 2007, Astrand et al 2017. The prostate is a male secretory gland of variable size.…”

“…In this study, we have further investigated the ability of a tactile resonance sensor to detect prostate cancer ex vivo. Several earlier studies have given promising results (Nyberg et al 2015, Astrand et al 2017, based on the stiffness parameter produced by a resonance sensor on different biological tissues.…”

“…Recently, a multi-modality probe that combines Raman spectroscopy and tactile resonance technology been developed, with the potential to become a clinical scanning instrument for studying surgical margins during surgery (Nyberg et al 2013. The method is based on an idea of a rotational device into which the surgically removed prostate is inserted and rotated (Astrand et al 2017). During the rotation, sensors are scanning for cancer cells and their corresponding locations on the surface of the prostate, informing about suspicious areas where cancer cells may have migrated from the prostate to surrounding tissue.…”

Toward intraoperative tissue classification: exploiting signal feedback from an ultrasonic aspirator for brain tissue differentiation

“…The tactile sensor is excited using multisine for obtaining frequency response functions, which are processed and clustered subsequently using k-means algorithm. Even though these approaches are showing promising results, they (among multiple others) are relying on newly designed instruments that always require a change in the surgical workflow and are typically intended for robotic or endoscopic applications only [25][26][27][28][29][30][31].…”

Whole-Sample Mapping of Cancerous and Benign Tissue Properties

“…While histopathological analysis remains the "gold standard" for diagnosis, the macroscopic properties of tumorous tissue are widely known, with surgeons using tactile stiffness information when palpating to locate masses during biopsies or resection surgeries. Attempts have been made to quantify these differences using elastography [1] and tactile sensing [2]. Differences have also been measured in the elastic stiffness of single cells cultured from cancerous and healthy tissue using atomic force microscopy (AFM) [3,4], which arise from interactions between cells and the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) [5,6].…”