A laser that can detect cancer without removing any skin has been developed by researchers in Germany

Using the non-invasive laser device, doctors can read the “spectral shape” of the tissue under examination and determine if the sample is benign or malignant.

The laser device has the potential to revolutionise the detection of skin cancer because it diagnoses at a molecular level, researchers at Lasertechnik Berlin, a manufacturer of short impulse lasers which developed the device, said.

A clinical trial of the Limes 16-P laser begins this month in the Ruhr University Clinic, irishtimes.com reports.