Augmented-reality guided lumpectomy

Far too many women with a newly diagnosed breast cancer must undergo repeat surgery because positive margins were found at the time of their initial lumpectomy. Supine volumetric MRI has potential to improve surgical accuracy, and reduce re-excision rates by nearly 50%. Spurred by our preliminary results improving depth perception via projected apertures and integrating intra-operative marker tracking into commercial Augmented Reality systems, we have developed a highly accurate initial prototype Augmented Reality system to project volumetric MRI data inside the breast to guide surgery. In Aim 1, we will compare methods of projecting apertures in a phantom model of lumpectomy. In Aim 2, we will test the final prototype system in a pilot study of 30 women with new breast cancer. Standardized use of cavity- and shave-margins will enable paired comparisons between standard and AR-guided techniques in the same patients, including ability to reduce positive margin rates and minimize overexcision. Ultimately the system will be ready for future randomized controlled trials to measure efficacy as the next step toward broad clinical adoption. Project Number: 1R21CA303345-01A1 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Cancer Institute (NCI) | Principal Investigator: BRUCE DANIEL (+1 co-PI) | Institution: STANFORD UNIVERSITY, STANFORD, CA | Award Amount: $395,973 | Activity Code: R21 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 ISB-V (80)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11374299