Surgeons uncover hidden cancer cells with glowing dyes

Surgeons are revealing hidden cancers using fluorescent, glowing dyes that make cancer cells light up, an innovation that could transform how hundreds of thousands of cancer operations are conducted every year, according to a CBS News report.

Although surgery is one of the best ways to rid a patient's body of cancer, if cancer returns, it is typically due to stray tumor cells left behind or undetected during the procedure. However, there is not a reliable way for surgeons to tell which cells are cancerous and which are not, since good tissue and bad tissue frequently appear similar.

Researchers are now testing dyes to light up cancer cells so physicians can detect them, cut them out and increase patients' chances at survival.

"[With dyes,] it's almost like we have bionic vision," said Sunil Singhal, MD, surgeon, professor and thoracic surgery research laboratory director at Philadelphia-based Penn Medicine. "We can be sure we're not taking too much or too little."

Dr. Singhal was inspired to embark on research into dyes 10 years ago after a student who had recurring lung cancer died soon after Dr. Singhal thought he removed all the cancerous cells. He was lying next to his baby, looking at the fluorescent decals in the baby's room.

"I looked up and saw all these stars on the ceiling and I thought, how cool if we could make cells light up" so people wouldn't die from unseen tumors, Dr. Singhal told CBS.

Indocyanine green, a cyanine dye, has long been used in medical diagnostics. Dr. Singhal found when large doses were administered by IV the day before a patient's surgery, the dye collected in cancer cells and glowed when exposed to near infrared light. Dr. Singhal calls this TumorGlow and is testing it for lung, brain and other types of tumors.

Additionally, Dr. Singhal is testing a dye that binds to a protein more common in cancer cells for West-Lafayette, Ind.-based On Target Laboratories, a part of Purdue University's research park. Researchers are currently conducting a late-stage study for ovarian cancer and a mid-stage study for lung cancer.

The dyes are still experimental but are quickly advancing. Two dyes are in late-stage studies aimed at getting a green light from the Food and Drug Administration, according to CBS. Johnson & Johnson recently invested $40 million in a dye with support from federal grants.

"We think this is so important. Patients' lives will be improved by this," said Paula Jacobs, PhD, an imaging expert at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Jacobs predicts the medical field will have a "palette" of dyes in the next five or so years.

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