Diagnosis, removal, or mechanical damaging of tumor using plasmonic nanobubbles

A cancer detection system configured to noninvasively determine a presence of unwanted cancerous material in tissue using plasmonic nanobubbles (“PNBs”), said cancer detection system returning post-electronic processing results to an operator at least at each measurement site during a cancer detection procedure, said cancer detection system comprising:

• a plurality of bioconjugated nanoparticles configured to be administered to a patient at a predetermined time prior to said cancer detection procedure, the bioconjugated nanoparticles comprising a plurality of nanoparticles and a plurality of cancerous material-specific ligands configured to attach to and cluster in said unwanted cancerous material;
• a source of electromagnetic radiation configured to provide a plurality of radiation pulses at a plurality of energy levels to said tissue at said measurement site;
• and
• an acoustic detector configured to output signals responsive to a plurality of pressure pulses emitted by PNBs from at least some of the bioconjugated nanoparticles when said tissue includes said unwanted cancerous material;
• and
• one or more signal processors operably communicating with said acoustic detector and configured to receive said output signals or one or more pre-processed signals responsive to said signals, configured to electronically process said signals or said one or more pre-processed signals, and configured to notify said operator with a result of said processing at each measurement site, said processing including:
• determining a first acoustic time-response responsive to said signals or said pre-processed signals corresponding to one or more of said pulses of said source at a first energy level;
• comparing said first acoustic time-response with a PNB-negative time-response to determine a detection of the PNBs;
• and
• when a sufficient amount of said presence is determined, returning a positive result for said presence of said unwanted cancerous material.