Lung Cancer Detection (IMAGE)

U.S. National Science Foundation

Lung Cancer Detection

Caption

Nano-scale disturbances in cheek cells indicate the presence of lung cancer. Regular microscopy looking at chromatin, the genetic material inside a cell's nucleus, will not reveal significant dissimilarities between the cheek cells of a healthy person and those of a lung cancer patient. However, a new technique called partial wave spectroscopic microscopy zeroes in on smaller-than-microscopic disturbances at the nano-level, which are harbingers of trouble.

Credit

Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation

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