The MarginProbe is a unique, FDA approved, cancer cell detector which can be used during lumpectomy to ensure no cancerous cells are left in the margin. DOTmed News reached out to Dan Hashimshony, the CEO of Dune Medical, to find out more about the company's unique system, and the positive outcomes physicians are finding with it.

DOTmed News: Can you describe how the MarginProbe works?

Dan Hashimshony: When a surgeon removes a tumor from the breast, the goal is to remove the tumor in its entirety, including a rim of normal tissue. This layer of normal tissue is called the surgical margin. When the tumor is fully contained within the removed lump, the margin layer is free from cancer cells, indicating that the tumor was successfully removed and the patient can continue treatment with radiation and/or chemotherapy as needed.

However, since cancer cells on the surface cannot be seen by any imaging modality, in many cases the patient is required to come back to the OR to be operated on again in order to achieve clean margins. This happens in about 20 to 40 percent of lumpectomy cases. We designed MarginProbe to solve this problem. It detects cancer cells on the surface of the removed lump immediately, in the operating room during surgery, so the surgeon can remove more tissue if required and avoid the need for a second surgery.

The MarginProbe device works by sending very low-energy radio frequency waves to the tissue and collecting reflected signals. Each reflection carries information about the tissue structure, which is then compared to criteria from a pre-acquired library of precise tissues structures and corresponding reflections, as analyzed by pathologists. Each new reading acquired by the system in the OR is compared to the library and classified as either positive or negative for cancer cells.

DOTmed News: What is the install base like and how do you anticipate its growth in the coming years?

DH: Our current install base is comprised of about 50 locations and growing rapidly each quarter. With our small and dedicated sales force, we plan to double the number of installs in the next 12-16 months and continue to grow in the same rate in the next year. Long term, we do believe that real-time margin assessment will become a gold standard, as it should be, in every tumor-removal procedure. When that happens, we hope to see MarginProbe used in every OR in the country.

DOTmed News: Can this lead to related technology to check the margins at other tumor locations?

DH: Yes, definitely. There are a few academic publications discussing the use of MarginProbe in prostate cancer surgeries with very successful results. The idea behind using our technology for prostate cancer was to assess real-time tumor margins near the prostate nerve bundle to ensure all cancer was removed, but at the same time, enabling surgeons to conserve as much of the nerve as possible. From a company perspective, this is a pipeline project and we will continue to pursue it after MarginProbe for Breast is well established in the breast caner field. The technology was also tested in other cancers including colon, esophagus, lung and kidney.

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