Tumors at the cervix can be identified with acetic acid. Just swab it on and look at it with UV.

It would be nice if laproscopic cancer surgery at the interior of the body with many tumor types could do the same thing, with the automatic tissue grinder able to grind away just those areas that respond to the acetic acid visual.

The thing is acetic acid might not do it. I think I read that cancer cells prefer lactic acid metabolism to glucose metabolism, making them full of mostly unique lactate chemicals. A fluorescent antibody to those unique lactate chemicals could then glom onto any tissue that liked lactic acid best. That locates the cancer cells with a clear visual marker. Then the photoguided grinder gets rid of them.

Although blood and gunk might interfere with an optical method like this it is possible that irrigation or something a little like an oil immersion lens (without oil) would provide adequate visuals.
-- beanangel, May 29 2018

random, halfbakery