Dr. Thompson to Participate in Study with $7 Million in CPRIT Funding

Dr. Alastair Thompson, Olga Keith Wiess chair of surgery and chief of the section of Breast Cancer Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, will be leading the clinical trial component of a study with Perimeter Medical Imaging Corporation that has been approved to receive up to $7,446,844 in CPRIT Funding.

The clinical study is named “OTIS Impact on Final Positive Margin Rates in Breast Conserving Surgery,” and its goal is to reduce repeat surgeries for cancer removal through the use of an imaging device. The high-resolution imaging device called OTIS™, developed by Perimeter Medical Imaging Corporation, images removed tissue during surgery and allows surgeons to assess if they have achieved successful removal of the entire tumor without having to wait the usual 2-7 days for a pathology report.

The device, which will be under trial at Baylor College of Medicine, UT San Antonio, UT Southwest, and UT MD Anderson, increases success rates of first-time surgeries and should significantly reduce the need for repeat surgeries, currently required in a third of breast conservations surgery across the nation. AI algorithms are also in development to improve speed and accuracy. Reducing repeat surgeries will have a positive impact on patient health and reduce healthcare costs. The total cost to treat breast cancer patients in Texas is $250,000,000 per year.