Handheld Resonance Sensor Instrumentation towards Faster Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer - Stiffness Measurements on a Soft Tissue Phantom

摘要

Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer among men. Standard methods for detecting and diagnosing prostate cancer are not sensitive enough. Radical prostatectomy is a procedure where the prostate is removed as a treatment for prostate cancer. Objectively measured prostate stiffness could be a clinical marker for prostate cancer and this could be accomplished -vyith a stiffness sensitive resonance sensor. A future handheld pen-like resonance sensor instrument could be a valuable clinical tool for locating cancer during radical prostatectomy surgery and thus aid in the diagnosis and treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the concept of a handheld resonance sensor for stiffness measurements on a soft tissue phantom. For a handheld resonance sensor set-up the impression depth and speed of the sensor tip into the tissue are unknown. A theoretical model was derived to show that a stiffness sensitive parameter can be obtained independent of the impression depth and the impression speed. The theoretical result was verified on a soft tissue phantom made of gelatin with a silicon tumor inclusion. These results were promising for further studies and development of a handheld instrument towards faster diagnosis of prostate cancer.