Turning Science Fiction into Science

It sounds like the stuff of science fiction...a tiny device implanted in your body that provides a way to continuously monitor your blood, looking for clues as to what's going on with your health, and in particular, what's going on during cancer treatment. But if researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have their way, this may become reality within a few years.

In their study Implantable diagnostic device for cancer monitoring, published in the research journal Biosensors & Bioelectronics, the MIT researchers describe how they created and implanted a tiny, five millimeter device which successfully monitored a chemical produced by some tumors, in mice with cancer. This type of technology has the potential to revolutionize cancer care, improve outcomes, and save lives.

Currently, techniques that are used to track cancer in the body, such as a biopsy, PET scan, or MRI, only reveal what a tumor is doing after it has spread. After spreading, most cancers become very difficult to treat and nearly impossible to cure.

An implanted device that monitors cancer in real time can provide information on whether a tumor is growing, spreading, responding to treatment by shrinking, or perhaps is about to spread to other areas of the body (metastasize). This would allow doctors to better treat patients, for example by changing treatment plans or medications for people whose tumors are not responding the their current therapies.

The research team notes that the goal is to improve the technology so that the implanted device can monitor a variety of substances, such as various tumor markers, levels of chemotherapy in the body and near the tumor, oxygen levels, acidity (pH), and hormones.

We'll be following this exciting research closely. And as the technology continues to develop and eventually become available in cancer clinics, we'll be sure to update you on it!