Digital Imaging and AI Mean Fewer Surgeries for Breast Cancer Patients

A project led by Pennsylvania's Lehigh University might help cancer patients avoid undergoing multiple surgeries. The results can be crucial since according to recent studies, 25 percent of women who undergo breast-saving lumpectomy surgery will require a second operation, which incurs a median cost of $16,000 and causes further health complications. After removing the tumor from the breast, doctors have to check the operated area for residual cancerous cells. Currently, the process of examination involves taking tissue samples from the margin of the operated area, freezing them with liquid nitrogen, sectioning them to thin slices, and sending them to a lab for examination. The process, known as histopathology, can take as long as a week.