Introduction
When your dog undergoes surgery to remove a tumor, you want to be sure every cancerous cell is gone. But current methods to check surgical margins take days and may miss hidden cancer cells—leading to repeat surgeries and added risk.
Thanks to a new research breakthrough funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation, scientists are testing a real-time imaging technology called Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) that could help veterinarians confirm clean margins during surgery—right in the operating room.
Key Points
- OCT uses light waves to create high-resolution images of tissue during surgery.
- It can distinguish between normal and cancerous tissue in dogs.
- OCT results closely match traditional histopathology findings.
- This technology may reduce the need for repeat surgeries.
- Further research is underway to refine accuracy and train veterinary teams.
Challenge Background
Surgical removal is the standard treatment for many superficial tumors in dogs. After surgery, veterinarians must determine whether all cancerous cells were removed. This is done by examining tissue margins under a microscope—a process called histopathology.
However, histopathology takes several days and only evaluates small portions of the tissue. If cancer cells remain undetected, dogs may need additional surgeries, increasing health risks and costs for owners. Tumors that grow unevenly can also lead to false “clean margin” results, making the current method imperfect.
The Breakthrough
Researchers funded by the AKC Canine Health Foundation are exploring Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) as a faster, more comprehensive way to assess surgical margins. OCT works like ultrasound but uses near-infrared light to produce real-time, microscopic images of tissue.
In studies involving dogs with soft tissue sarcomas and mammary tumors, OCT successfully distinguished between various tissue types—skin, fat, muscle, and both normal and cancerous tissue. The results showed strong agreement with histopathology, even though cancerous tissues were more irregular and harder to identify.
With continued funding, the team is now expanding their research to evaluate OCT for skin and subcutaneous tumors in dogs.
Impact & Next Steps
OCT could revolutionize how veterinarians assess tumor margins during surgery, helping ensure complete removal of cancerous cells in real time. This means fewer repeat surgeries, lower costs, and better outcomes for dogs.
Next steps include refining the technology’s accuracy and training veterinary professionals to use it effectively. If successful, OCT could become a standard tool in veterinary oncology, improving care for dogs with cancer and giving owners greater peace of mind.
