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Skin cancer has evolved to become one of the most prevalent diseases worldwide. Although difficult to handle once it has reached an advanced stage, early detection may be one of the best methods in improving prognosis and life expectancies. For this reason, new technology has been implemented to enhance the diagnosis of skin cancer. In this paper, we will focus on Raman spectroscopy and Verisante Aura technology. The Verisante Aura device emerged recently as an optical method to scan moles.
This device uses Raman spectroscopy to detect the vibrational patterns in a sample and give information on the chemical compositions and pathologic components.
The device is comprised of a hand-held probe which emits a laser to analyze the sample portion of skin. However, the device can only scan a very limited amount of skin, making it difficult and time consuming to analyze a large portion. This paper will address an improved method of diagnosing skin cancer. We will experiment with nanotechnology in order to downsize the device.
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When doing this, we may encounter difficulty in keeping the efficiency of the laser, so we will experiment methods to extend the capabilities of it. Additionally, we aim to make this device portable and available to underdeveloped countries that lack easy access to healthcare. Our proposal focuses on the transfer of data from the probe into a cloud-based information system.
The push for technology use in health monitoring has grown throughout the years due to the increasing healthcare costs and the rapid advancements in technology.
These forms of technology can range from implanted devices and wearable technology, to processing units and data analysis (Chan etal. 2012).
This proposal focuses specifically on two forms of technology, known as Raman spectroscopy and Verisante Aura, and their use in diagnosing skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer with a continuous increase in overall cases throughout the world (Linaresetal. 2015). Early detection can significantly improve prognosis and has been shown to increase survival rates. Currently, diagnosis of skin cancer is based upon visual examination by a dermatologist. However, this method can result in a misdiagnosis and avoidable biopsy. Studies have shown that the accuracy of diagnosis of skin melanoma by a dermatologist ranges from 49% to 81%, depending on the training and expertise of the health professional (Luietal. 2012).
Raman spectroscopy has emerged as an optical method to facilitate the diagnosis of skin cancer. The technology serves to increase the accuracy of diagnosis by giving a spectral analysis based on vibrational patterns of bonds between molecules (Linaresetal. 2015). It has become a prominent method in skin cancer diagnosis because of its various advantages over standard biopsy procedures. These advantages include its rapidity, its minimally invasive method, and its molecular specificity (Fengetal. 2018).
The technology works by analyzing the interaction of light with tissue and compiling this data in order to study the tissue’s optical features (Sharma 2014). This interaction is in the form of vibrational patterns that are exhibited onto a graph. The spectroscopy is able to analyze the molecular vibrations of different molecules to then obtain information on the chemical components and intermolecular attractions in the sample (Auneretal. 2018). The spectral analysis that occurs is composed of various peaks. The magnitude and position of these peaks speak to the specific vibrational energy within chemical bonds (Luietal. 2012). Through this method, raman spectroscopy allows for a detection of chemical changes associated with pathology (Luietal. 2012). The composition of a cell changes when its function changes, so the spectroscopy can help distinguish between cancerous and noncancerous cells (Satoetal. 2019).
The British Columbia Cancer Agency and the University of British Columbia incorporated this technology into the Verisante Aura device. This device emits a laser that is transferred to a hand-held probe. This probe then collects data from a small area of skin and performs a spectral analysis (Fink and Haenssle 2017). The analysis part of this procedure is quick; however, the probe can only diagnose a small area of skin at a time. Furthermore, the hand-held probe is connected to a large machine, making the portability of it very difficult. Our group has proposed a more efficient and portable device that can scan larger areas of skin and can be easily transported to underdeveloped nations where access to healthcare may be limited. Instead of having the hand-held probe connected to a large machine, we propose the data analysis to be transferred to a portable device, such as a cloud-based device. Although available to all people in a respective country, our specific target population is the elderly. One problem with the current Verisante Aura device is the small surface area that it can cover. When scanning multiple moles or areas of skin, this process may take a while. Our proposal addresses this problem by enabling a larger area of skin to be scanned, and therefore decreasing the total time needed in diagnosis.
Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. Skin cancer commonly leads to a growth of cancerous cells on the surface layer of the skin. It is closely tied to exposure of harmful UV rays (Jerantetal. 2000). Early detection of skin cancer can drastically increase the patient’s survival rate. The most common way to diagnose skin cancer is by visiting a physician and having irregularities in skin examined. Physicians look at the growth of the irregularity, leading to regular visits to the doctor. They also examine the symmetry, color, diameter, and border of the irregularities to diagnose melanoma. Physicians often take biopsies to confirm their diagnoses. A study showed that dermatologists take nearly 25.4 biopsies to diagnose one case of melanoma (Anderson etal. 2018). This method of diagnosis has proven to be inefficient and time consuming. In developing areas with less access to modern healthcare, getting proper diagnosis and treatment early is difficult. Taking a biopsy to diagnose skin cancer is a multistep process including anesthetics, inscisions, stitches, etc (Guerra-Rosas and Álvarez-Borrego 2015). This is followed by the sample being sent to a lab to be examined.
This paper will discuss an alternative method of diagnosis which is faster, more precise, and more efficient than current methods. The paper proposes a portable device which utilizes Raman Spectroscopy to diagnose skin cancer within minutes. The portable device analyzes the spectroscopy results in a mobile device allowing for the portable technology to be more efficient and small. The portable device also utilizes nanotechnology to condense the Raman Spectroscopy into a smaller device and thereby greater portability. In addition, the device scans larger portions of skin rather than just one irregularity and in faster speeds due to nanotechnology research. This project is a combination of nanotechnology, Raman Spectroscopy, and mobile databases to create a device with greater accessibility for people all around the world. The device will aid with early detection and thereby increase survival rates of patients.
Objective: The objective of this paper is to propose a portable device which can scan skin of patients to determine whether or not the irregularities on the skin are forms of skin cancer. This paper aims to find a more efficient and portable way to provide diagnostic access to people living in developing areas and specifically to older populations who are more susceptive to skin cancer.
Improving the efficiency of the laser. The laser currently used in Verisante Aura scans a small amount of skin at a time. Specifically, it is used to look at moles on the skin. The issue with this is that it breaks down when applied to many people: as we are creating a technology that will be accessible for large numbers of medically underserved people, we need to make the laser larger so that more people can be scanned. The laser will be enlarged by a technique known as beam expansion.
There are two main types of beam expanders, the Keplerian and Galilean, based on telescope designs used by each astronomer. Both types input a collimated (i.e. rays are parallel) beam and output another collimated beam of greater diameter. In the Keplerian design, two converging lenses are placed so that the distance between them is the sum of their focal lengths. This means that the focal points of each lens coincide. When a laser is input through the lens with smaller focal length, the light converges onto the common focus, from where it diverges again to the larger lens, resulting in an output beam with a larger diameter. An issue with this design is that a large amount of energy is concentrated to the common focus, which can be an issue especially for higher power applications. The Galilean design uses a diverging lens with a negative focal length instead of the smaller converging lens. The lenses are again separated by the sum of their focal lengths. In this design, light is input through the diverging lens, and since the lenses share a focus, the light is scattered onto the converging lens, which results in a larger beam diameter.
For both designs, the magnification of the beam produced is contingent on the ratio between the focal lengths of the lenses. When selecting a beam expander, the input diameter, output diameter, and the specifics of the application are most relevant. We will experiment with various input diameters near to the size of the laser currently used in Verisante Aura, various output diameters of significantly larger size, and both designs of beam expanders. We have to consider relevant details for Raman spectroscopy, such as the magnification altering the data or ability to collect it, as well as the focusing of the light in the Keplerian design interfering by heating up and possibly ionizing the surrounding air.
Implementing a cloud-based solution to data processing. The Verisante Aura device is linked to a large box of equipment that needs to be downsized in order to make it portable. We will experiment with installing a small computer on the device that transmits raw data to the cloud, where data analysis will be done, from where medical workers can view the results on mobile devices that access the cloud. We will also consider security measures for this data, as medical information is protected by law (at least in the US) and so our device needs to be compliant to any local privacy mandates.
Implementing a mobile power source. The device currently has a lot of equipment attached that requires a large amount of power, so figuring out how to simplify power sources will help to create a portable device. In general, two types of components are options: batteries and power cells. Batteries are now being used in higher power applications like cars, so we will tweak batteries similar to those used in electric vehicles and try to fit them to Verisante Aura. Power cells are also becoming more relevant as they become more practical; we will consider the implementation of solar cells and hydrogen fuel cells.
Using nanotechnology to downsize the device. The Raman spectroscopy consists of numerous components. The components include a laser, macro beam mirror, spectrograph grating, and a CCD detector (Agarwal and Atalla 1995). To downsize the components of Raman Spectroscopy, each part of the spectroscope has a complement nano component. The laser can be reduced in size by employing surface plasmon nanolasers. Plasmonicnanolasers have high performance as well as a reduced response time (LituXu 2019).
The surface plasmon nanolasers utilize a combination of nanowires to build a more cohesive structure. The nanolasers can only transmit the light at shorter distances forcing the device to be smaller. The CCD detector is a photon detector which detects the laser distortion. The detector can be simplified by using single photon detectors. These single photon detectors use superconducting nanowires to be able to detect the specific wavelengths. The superconducting nanowire detectors can measure up to 1550nm wavelengths emitted by lasers . Raman spectroscopy uses approximately 660- 830nm lasers allowing for the superconducting nanowires to aid in reducing the size of the detector (Marsili. et. al. 2011). The device will also include an optical microscope to image the data and send it to the cloud for further analysis.
Our machine will be using Raman spectroscopy methods in order to test for skin abnormalities, such as melanomas of the skin and other related indicators of skin cancer. By shining a laser on the skin, the inelastic scattering of photons will yield information on the composition of the cells, via the vibrational frequency of objects contained in the cell. Tumor tissue and noncancerous tissue contain distinct types and amounts of lipids, proteins, and pigments; as these cells differ in their makeup, these different molecules scatter light differently, producing patterns that can be analyzed (Feng, X. etal. 2018). More specifically, tumor clusters exhibit a smaller proportion of α-helix proteins than normal tissue (Yorucu, C. etal. 2016). Therefore, via spectroscopy, we expect that carcinogenic and normal skin cells will result in different spectroscopic “fingerprints” to obtain results in whether the cell appears to be carcinogenic or not.
As a method of downsizing the device size, our spectral analysis will be done in the cloud, rather than on-site, as has traditionally been done. By doing so, we expect to create a more portable device than currently exists on the market. This will allow for increased volume of early detection, as more people can be examined at a faster rate than can currently be done.
Since our device is focused on miniaturization of existing technology, we expect to perhaps encounter a loss in accuracy. Our goal in creating this device is to create a preliminary screening device. We believe that the increased portability of this device will result in increased early detection, and refer the at-risk people we examine to more credible and/or accurate sources, such as professional dermatologists. Before rolling out this technology to the public, we will conduct a series of in vivo and ex vivo experiments in which it is known whether the skin tissue to be analyzed suggests the presence of melanoma or not, and we can use this set to examine thoroughly how accurate our device is in determining the presence of skin cancer.
Our biggest goal with this experiment is to create a device that can be used to help diagnose melanoma and other skin cancers earlier in more susceptible populations, particularly those who traditionally have no or limited access to doctors or dermatologists. This includes but is not limited to underdeveloped countries and senior populations. As shown in the figure below, melanoma rate per 100,000 people seemingly grows exponentially as one’s age increases (U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. 2018). Early diagnosis in these susceptible populations can prove to drastically increase survival rates.
There are several potential issues that may be associated with the use of this device. One issue may be the loss of accuracy when using this device compared to other methods of diagnosis, such as a physical examination from a dermatologist or use of other devices such as the Vincente Aura. Since this device is intended for use in initial diagnosis in rural clinical settings, however, this loss of accuracy may not be as significant, for a patient diagnosed by this device could then obtain secondary diagnoses through other methods at facilities with greater means in order to confirm the said initial diagnosis.
Another potential problem that may be encountered is that of the security of patient information when using the cloud; the use of the computing cloud allows a patient’s data to utilized more easily, potentially permitting more effective diagnosis and treatment, but also leaving the records more vulnerable to theft through hacking. This risk, while impossible to completely eliminate, may be mitigated by the use of integrated security software within the device and associated networks and databases, as well as confidentiality protocols and procedures already common in the medical field. The potential cellular damage from applying the laser in diagnosis may also pose a risk, but this danger may be reduced by utilizing practices from other radiation-based diagnostic methods, such as covering areas not being analysed with radiation-resistant sheets.
Future applications of the technology developed for this device include its use in detecting other forms of cancer in clinical, surgical and laboratory settings. Raman spectroscopy has already been studied for use in diagnosing and identifying cancers including brain cancer, ocular cancer, ovarian cancer, oral cancer, breast cancer, and pancreatic cancer. While the proposed device is intended for diagnostic use in a limited clinical setting, derivative technologies could be used to identify cancerous cells quickly and accurately in surgical environments, allowing for a more complete removal of said cells during oncological operations.
As a patient’s life expectancy increases significantly as the percentage of cancerous cells removed increases, this technology could substantial increase the effectiveness of surgical treatment. Raman spectroscopy has also been investigated for its potential use in laboratory settings, as the technology could be used to examine cells ex vivo in order to more accurately diagnosis a cancer strain, thus allowing for improved treatment, or to further our understanding of the mechanisms and characteristics of a specific form of cancer (Auneretal. 2018). As this device attempts to miniaturize and reduce the cost of using Raman spectroscopy, technology developed for it may allow for more widespread use of the technique in the said fields.
The development of an integrated and mobile power supply for the device also may allow its use in other settings, such as underdeveloped nations without access to reliable power supply. The low cost of the device may alleviate the issue of poor transportation infrastructure, as a patient would not have to travel to a centralized health facility, but rather a nearby clinic in order to receive a diagnosis. The cloud based nature of the device could allow medical professionals to remotely diagnosis and treat patients, allowing individuals in isolated areas to receive professional treatment. Thus, this device and associated technology could significantly improve the access to high quality medical care in impoverished nations.
Enhancing Skin Cancer Diagnosis with Portable Raman Spectroscopy. (2024, Feb 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/document/enhancing-skin-cancer-diagnosis-with-portable-raman-spectroscopy
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