Meet the iKnife, a groundbreaking surgical tool that analyzes the “smoke” produced during electrosurgery using Rapid Evaporative Ionization Mass Spectrometry (REIMS). This allows surgeons to identify cancerous versus normal tissue in real time as they operate.

Recent studies spotlight its clinical potential: one investigation in breast cancer surgeries demonstrated the tool’s ability to evaluate surgical margins intraoperatively, showing that anomaly detection models like OC-PCA can achieve ~90% sensitivity using only intraoperative data. PubMed Another study revealed it could differentiate endometrial cancer from normal tissue with 89% accuracy—offering promise for point-of-care diagnosis and speeding up treatment decisions.

The iKnife’s evolution into tools like the NaviKnife, which integrates ultrasound imaging and robotic navigation, further shows how digital diagnostics and surgical precision are converging toward transformative cancer care.