A novel radioguided surgery technique exploiting β(-) decays

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Nuclear Medicine
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• High radiation penetration of current radio-guided surgery (RGS) limits its effectiveness due to background noise.
• Existing RGS methods using beta-plus (β(+)) emitters face challenges with background interference.
• Beta-minus (β(-)) emitters offer a potential solution due to their lower penetration power.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate the use of beta-minus (β(-)) emitting radio-tracers and probes for radio-guided surgery (RGS).
• To demonstrate the advantages of β(-) emitters over β(+) emitters in reducing background noise.
• To extend the application of RGS to tumors where background signals from healthy tissue are problematic.

Main Methods:

• Development and performance study of a prototype beta-minus (β(-)) probe using phantom experiments.
• Detailed simulations to extrapolate phantom results to a realistic clinical scenario (meningioma).
• Comparison of administered activity with Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans.

Main Results:

• The developed β(-) probe prototype demonstrated good sensitivity, detecting residuals as small as 0.1 ml within 1 second.
• Simulations indicate effective performance in a realistic meningioma case.
• Required administered activity is lower than that for PET scans, ensuring negligible radiation exposure.

Conclusions:

• Beta-minus (β(-)) emitting radio-tracers and probes offer a promising advancement for radio-guided surgery (RGS).
• This method significantly reduces background noise, enhancing probe versatility and applicability.
• The approach allows for sensitive tumor detection with minimal radiation exposure to medical personnel.