ABSTRACT
An emerging biomedical analytical technique with mass spectrometry (MS) has been developed to perform intraoperative cancer margin determination. It has the potential to revolutionize the Mohs micrographic surgery by eliminating the need for microscopic examination in the future. The operational principles of MS follow three key steps: ionization, analysis, and detection. The current practice of Mohs micrographic surgery, though it serves the medical community well by providing a substantial possibility of cure for the detected cancer while maximally preserving healthy skin in the critical facial locations, is a very labor-intense procedure. A new generation of mass spectrometers manufactured by ThermoFisher Scientific Company, with a footprint size about 21 inches by 30 inches and an approximate price tag of US $250,000 will be a significant step forward to achieving a widely accepted application of Mohs micrographic surgery sine microscopy.
