SURGMAP 

Clinical Background

In the U.S., Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) has a prevalence rate of 71,000 cases annually.  Over 50% of HNSCC cases are in the oral cavity (OCSCC), with a high incidence of about 35,000 cases annually with a projected 40% increase by 2040. Patients are usually treated with a primary resection where excising adequate surgical margins around the tumor is critical for good outcomes. Clinical evidence shows that a close or positive margin left behind contributes to cancer recurrence. Unfortunately, cancer-free margins are achieved in only 15% to 26% of OCSCC cases. Thus, most patients with early-stage OCSCC will experience recurrence, requiring a second surgery or adjuvant therapy (e.g. radiation or chemotherapy). OCSCC presents a high recurrence rate and extreme morbidity. It has a huge impact to a patient's quality of life in swallowing, speech function, and aesthetics.

Current Solution & Problems

The current solution is tumor resection. During the procedure, the tumor is removed and samples from the surrounding surgical margins are taken to ensure all the cancer is removed. This procedure requires the expertise of both a surgeon and pathologist. The surgeon removes the tumor, while the pathologist examines the margins and specimen to determine if the surgeon needs to cut more.

Currently, this surgeon-pathologist communication is inaccurate. Surgeons rely on imprecise verbal descriptions and rudimentary tools to localize leftover tumor margins intraoperatively, often leading to inadequate removal or unnecessary damage to healthy tissue. There is a lack of real-time visualization and communication between both the surgeon and the pathologist during these procedures.