Color-Coded Cancer Surgery

Surgeries to remove cancerous cells often result in the removal of healthy cells as well. This is because cancer surgeons operate "blind" with no clear way of determining in real-time whether they have removed all of the diseased tissue, which is the key to successful surgery.

Researchers in Massachusetts now report development and early clinical trials of a new imaging system that highlights cancerous tissue in the body so that surgeons can more easily see and remove diseased tissue with less damage to normal tissue near the tumor.

The technique shows particular promise for improving surgery for breast, prostate, and lung cancer, whose tumor boundaries can be difficult to track at advanced stages, they say. It can also help cancer surgeons avoid cutting critical structures such as blood vessels and nerves, the scientists add.

The system is called FLARE, or Fluorescence-Assisted Resection and Exploration. Under development for the past decade, the portable system consists of a near-infrared (NIR) imaging system, a video monitor, and a computer.

-- LiveScience Staff

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Image Credit: John V. Frangioni, M.D., Ph.D. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston