Investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center demonstrate real-time visualization of scattered residual tumor following neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy using the mobile intraoperative PET-CT system

GHENT, Belgium, June 11, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- XEOS, a medical technology company advancing intraoperative molecular imaging, today announced the publication of a new peer-reviewed case report in Head & Neck that highlights an emerging challenge in head and neck cancer surgery and the potential role of intraoperative PET-CT imaging in helping surgeons better understand residual disease following neoadjuvant therapy.

The publication, "Visualization of Scattered Tumor Regression Following Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy with a Novel Intraoperative PET-CT Scanner," was authored by investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and describes the use of the AURA 10® mobile intraoperative PET-CT system in a patient with recurrent oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma. The study was independently conducted by Vanderbilt researchers and published in Head & Neck, a leading journal in the field.

As immunotherapy increasingly moves into earlier stages of head & neck cancer treatment, especially after the publication of the landmark KEYNOTE-689 trial last year, surgeons are encountering new and sometimes unexpected patterns of treatment response. While tumors may appear to shrink following therapy, residual viable cancer can remain distributed in ways that are not readily apparent through conventional imaging alone. Understanding where disease remains, and where it doesn't, will become increasingly important as neoadjuvant treatment approaches expand.

In the reported case, a patient received neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy prior to surgery. Although conventional imaging demonstrated a reduction in tumor size, final pathology and intraoperative PET-CT similarly revealed an unexpected, scattered regression pattern: two separate residual tumor foci divided by an 8 mm bridge of inflammation without viable cancer. This finding illustrates how treatment response may not always follow a predictable, uniform pattern.

Using the AURA 10 mobile intraoperative PET-CT system, investigators performed specimen imaging immediately following resection. The scan identified two metabolically active tumor foci separated by a non-avid region corresponding to treatment-related inflammatory tissue. Importantly, the imaging findings closely correlated with subsequent microscopic pathology findings, providing real-time visualization of the specimen's residual disease pattern directly in the operating room.

"The rapid adoption of neoadjuvant immunotherapy is transforming the head & neck oncology landscape," said Vincent Keereman, Founder and CEO of XEOS. "As treatment responses become more heterogeneous, surgeons need greater visibility into residual disease at the point of surgical decision-making. This publication demonstrates the potential value of bringing high-resolution molecular imaging directly into the operating room."

The authors note that conventional preoperative PET-CT has limitations in predicting pathologic response following neoadjuvant immunotherapy. As a result, surgeons may face an information gap between treatment response observed before surgery and residual disease ultimately identified on pathology. The study explores how intraoperative specimen imaging may help bridge that gap by providing real-time specimen-level insight during surgery.

Beyond the specific findings of the case, the publication contributes to a growing scientific discussion around how response to immunotherapy should be characterized and assessed. The authors suggest that spatial patterns of residual disease, including tumor focality and regression patterns, may become increasingly important considerations as immunotherapy becomes integrated into routine treatment pathways for head and neck cancer.

"As neoadjuvant immunotherapy becomes increasingly integrated into head and neck cancer treatment, surgeons are encountering treatment response patterns that can be difficult to fully appreciate using conventional approaches alone," said Michael Topf, MD, Associate Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Biomedical Engineering at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "In this case, intraoperative specimen PET-CT enabled visualization of residual disease distribution that closely corresponded with final pathology and helped us better understand the spatial characteristics of treatment response and surgical margins."

The study expands the growing body of evidence supporting intraoperative molecular specimen imaging and highlights a potential for specimen PET-CT in the assessment of treatment response as immunotherapy becomes more widely adopted in head and neck oncology.

Head and neck cancer represents an important focus area for XEOS as the company continues to expand clinical evidence supporting the use of intraoperative specimen PET-CT across multiple oncologic applications.

Access the published study here.

About XEOS

XEOS is a medical technology company focused on advancing intraoperative cancer imaging. The company's AURA 10® specimen PET-CT system provides high-resolution three-dimensional imaging of excised surgical specimens directly in the operating room, helping surgeons make more informed decisions during cancer surgery. By combining molecular and 3D imaging in a compact, mobile platform, XEOS aims to improve surgical precision and patient outcomes across multiple oncologic applications.

Media Contact

Lieze De Witte

XEOS Medical

communications@xeos.care

+32 (0) 9 397 18 10

Media Contact

Lieze De Witte, XEOS, 32 09 397 18 10, communications@xeos.care, XEOS.care

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SOURCE XEOS