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.
Highlights
The use of a piezoelectric element as a resonance sensor for detecting tissue stiffness has been described already in the early 1990s [1]
Tactile resonance sensor systems based on the principle of an oscillating piezoelectric element, in contact with soft tissue, have been used to measure stiffness variations related to the heterogeneous prostate histology including malignant tissue [2,3]
Novel results on tactile resonance sensor system (TRSS) measurements on whole human prostate glands are presented in the present study
Summary
The use of a piezoelectric element as a resonance sensor for detecting tissue stiffness has been described already in the early 1990s [1]. Tactile resonance sensor systems based on the principle of an oscillating piezoelectric element, in contact with soft tissue, have been used to measure stiffness variations related to the heterogeneous prostate histology including malignant tissue [2,3]. In these studies, measurements were made on slices of a prostate gland. New reliable and easy-to-use methods for early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) are needed. PCa is the most common form of cancer among males in the Western world
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