US Patent 11666331 Systems for detecting proximity of surgical end effector to cancerous tissue

A surgical instrument includes an end effector having a first jaw, a second jaw movable relative to the first jaw to grasp tissue therebetween, an anvil, a staple cartridge comprising staples deployable into the tissue, wherein the staples are deformable by the anvil, and a sensor configured to provide a sensor signal according to a physiological parameter of the tissue. The surgical instrument further includes a control circuit coupled to the sensor, wherein the control circuit is configured to receive the sensor signal, and assess proximity of the sensor to cancerous tissue based on the sensor signal.