Multimodal Hyperspectral Imaging and Raman Spectroscopy for Intraoperative Assessment of Breast Tumor Resection Margins

Breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) aims to remove cancer while preserving healthy tissue, but up to 20% of patients require a second operation because cancer cells remain at the edge (margin) of the removed tissue. The Spectra-BREAST study evaluates a new optical device that combines hyperspectral imaging (HIS) and Raman spectroscopy (RS) with artificial-intelligence analysis to quickly assess the entire surface of excised breast specimens during surgery. By flagging areas at risk of positive margins in real time, the device may help surgeons remove any remaining cancer in a single procedure.

In this prospective, single-arm diagnostic study, surgeons will use the Spectra-BREAST system on freshly resected breast tissue from up to 99 women undergoing lumpectomy for invasive carcinoma or ductal carcinoma in situ. First, the device's cancer-detection algorithms will be trained on 74 specimens with known pathology. Then, in a separate group of patients, the fully integrated device will be tested on all six faces of each lumpectomy specimen and its predictions will be compared against the gold-standard histopathology margin assessment. Key measures include the sensitivity and specificity of the device's margin predictions, the time needed to generate results, and the device's usability in a clinical setting.