Emerging Technology and Best Practices Seminar Series

Friday, November 30, 2007
Optical Imaging for Medicine and Biology: Applications in Cancer Detection
8:00AM-4:00PM, Cocktail Hour 4:00-5:00PM
The Photonics Center
8 Saint Mary's Street, 9th Floor
Boston, MA 02215

Host:
Professor Jerome Mertz, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Boston University
College of Engineering
44 Cummington Street
Boston, MA 02215

Emerging Technology and Best Practices Seminar Series

Speaker: Satish K. Singh

Title: Eradicating Colon Cancer in our Lifetime: Light at the end of the Tunnel

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer death in the US among nonsmoking males and females. CRC begins within the epithelial layer most often as a polyp that typically protrudes into the lumen. The majority of colonic polyps do not have malignant potential. However, 30% of colonic polyps are precancerous (dysplastic) and systematic removal/ablation of all polyps at endoscopy has been shown to prevent the subsequent development of colon cancer. Indeed, the recent decline in overall cancer mortality rates is largely attributable to the prevention of CRC by screening and intervention. Numerous medical societies have endorsed evidence-based guidelines for CRC screening for the entire US population over age 50.

Clearly, this is an ambitious, massive public-health undertaking. At
present, only 30% of the US population has received age-appropriate
screening. Estimates are that, at present resource levels, we are 10
years behind in surveying and treating the existing population. Further, there is room for improvement in endoscopic practice: Emerging data suggest that standard optical colonoscopy as currently practiced has inherent limitations. Thus, advances in mucosal imaging and "real-time histology" at endoscopy are receiving increasing attention with a view towards enhancing dysplasia detection and ablation. This talk will survey the current state of CRC prevention and emerging optical technologies - including those we are working on at Boston University - that hold the promise of moving us closer to eradicating sporadic CRC in the not-too-distant future.

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