A novel device for assessing margins during vulvar cancer surgery
Dr Anne-Sofie De Crem (Ghent University Hospital)
Dr Anne-Sofie De Crem, a fourth-year resident in gynaecology at Ghent University Hospital in Belgium, presents her ESGO2024 poster.
Dr De Crem introduces a novel device for assessing margins during vulvar cancer surgery. Given the challenges of achieving perfect tumour excision and the associated risks of local recurrence and wound complications, this device, a micro-PET-CT imager called AURA-10, is being evaluated for its intraoperative use. If positive tumour margins are identified, immediate re-excision can be performed.
The study will compare final histopathological assessment with intraoperative analysis, reporting sensitivity and selectivity. This open-label pilot study aims to include 30 patients with vulvar cancer or premalignant lesions. Although the trial is ongoing, similar procedures in invasive ductal breast cancer have shown promising results, with a sensitivity of 91% and a specificity of 94% in detecting tumour margins intraoperatively.
References:
De Crem A. IMAP: Vulvar cancer Intra-operative Margin Assessment using PET-CT – study protocol. #ESGO2024 Poster
