article_snippet: In a world first, neurosurgeons at London’s Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust have started using the pen-like probe, called the Core, which shines a near-infrared light on to a tumour and scans for subtle differences between healthy and cancerous tissue.
article_snippet: About 16,000 Britons are diagnosed with a brain tumour every year, and more children and adults under 40 die from the condition than from any other cancer.
article_snippet: the pen-like probe was used for the first time during brain surgery at London’s Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust last week as part of a trial that will involve 30 patients over the next year.
article_snippet: Instead of taking a physical sample, a surgeon holds the Core over the area being operated on and a beam is emitted from the tip of the probe, scanning for changes in the chemical composition of brain tissue.
article_snippet: This is picked up by the probe, and the signal is then interpreted by a computer, giving an instant reading of whether brain tissue is cancerous.
article_snippet: a similar trial used to detect skin cancer on 1,000 patients at a hospital in Vancouver is being part-funded by charity Brain Tumour Research Campaign, which claims research into diagnostics and treatment is
highlights_snippet: British surgeons use pen-like probe to spot brain tumours for the first time .
  