With the DeepGlioma device being developed by Dr. Daniel A. Orringer, identification takes just minutes, potentially saving weeks of waiting to get a tumor analyzed.
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Brain cancer is a misleading term for what turns out to be a group of more than 120 distinct types of tumors. A glioblastoma, a type of glioma tumor, can double in size within two weeks: it鈥檚 the deadliest form of brain cancer. The life expectancy of those with such tumors is just eight months.
To formulate the best treatment plan and maximize the potential for a positive outcome, neurosurgeons need to identify which genetic mutations are present in a tumor. But that analysis, currently done by testing a tumor biopsy for biomarkers, can take a month or longer, delaying surgery and other forms of treatment.
鈥淚t really is hard for clinicians and patients to wrap our heads around that waiting period,鈥 Daniel A. Orringer, MD, associate professor in the Departments of and , tells NBC News Now. Dr. Orringer is also a member of the neurosurgery program at 嘿嘿视频鈥檚 Brain and Spine Tumor Center, part of the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center.
To expedite diagnosis, Dr. Orringer has developed a device that uses advanced imaging techniques and artificial intelligence to predict a tumor鈥檚 genetic makeup. The process takes just three minutes. So far, his research has found the results to be 93 percent as accurate as the current methodology.
The device, called DeepGlioma, is currently in . If it receives U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, it could one day be broadly adopted to help diagnose brain cancer and other types of cancer faster鈥攁 potential game changer.
鈥淭ime is so meaningful in the face of a terminal diagnosis,鈥 says Dr. Orringer.
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