Multi-wavelength lasers spot early signs of bladder cancer

Project AMPLITUDE (Advanced Multimodal Photonics Laser Imaging Tool for Urothelial Diagnosis in Endoscopy) is developing a scanner to provide instant, non-invasive, precise and detailed information to determine what stage and grade that a tumour has reached. The project is coordinated by Tampere University, Finland and includes contributions from Aston University and Edinburgh-based Modus Research and Innovation.

C2I2019: Cancer probe promises more effective surgery

Cancers that form in the bladder are difficult to spot in their early stages and are often missed when using white light. At present, clinicians struggle to create accurate, detailed images inside the bladder because light cannot penetrate deep into the tissue.

Currently, tests for bladder cancer involve urinalysis (a check for blood in the urine), urine cytology (using a microscope to search for cancer cells in urine), or urine tests for tumour markers (a test to see if a patient has chromosome changes that are often seen in bladder cancer cells or higher levels of a protein called NMP22).