Glowing dye helps surgeons eradicate prostate cancer

[Justfor_]

"A glowing marker dye that sticks to prostate cancer cells could help surgeons to remove them in real-time, according to a study funded by Cancer Research UK.

Cancer Research UK-funded scientists, based at the Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences and the Department of Oncology, University of Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals and Oxford NIHR Biomedical Research Centre used a fluorescent dye attached to a special marker molecule to give medics a “second pair of eyes” during surgery for prostate cancer.

Twenty-three men with prostate cancer were injected with the marker dye before undergoing prostate removal surgery. The marker dye found areas of cancerous tissue not picked up by the naked eye or other clinical methods.

The dye allowed the surgeons to remove all cancerous tissues – which could reduce the chances of cancer coming back – whilst preserving healthy tissues. Preserving healthy tissues means fewer life-changing side effects after surgery.

The combination of dye and targeting molecule, called IR800-IAB2M, allows surgeons to see the edges of the tumour and identify any clusters of cells that have spread from the tumour into nearby pelvic tissues and lymph nodes. This guides the surgeon to remove all cancerous tissues and preserve healthy areas around the prostate. This substantially reduces the chances that the cancer will come back in future and minimises the possibility of life changing side-effects for the patient after the operation.

The dye and marker molecule work by attaching themselves to a protein called Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) commonly found on the surface of prostate cancer cells."

Full article can be found here:

eurekalert.org/news-release...

[NPfisherman]

Jf,

Thanks for posting. This development will help more people escape the clutches of the Beast. This technology should help out when BCR occurs as well. Will this be given with Pylarify to identify what the scan missed ?? For the oligometastatic patients, this may be part of the puzzle to ID remaining disease and eliminate it... Good stuff !!! 👍

Don Pescado

[Justfor_ in reply to NPfisherman]

First such attempt was trialed several years ago, at TUM (Technical University Munchen) where they attached a radiation detection sensor to a DaVinci arm that could act as a homing device to the Technetium labeled radioligant they would inject prior to the procedure. This technique was later amended by the introduction of a newer sensor that can detect the radiation footprint of the Galium isotope used in regular PSMA PET/CT. This latest inovation works on the same principle but simplifies things by making radiation sensors redundant.

[NPfisherman in reply to Justfor_]

Well I learned something today. An advance for people that are at higher risk of metastatic disease to increase surgical success... TUM and Bad Berka.... What are people like Dr Baum doing to push the cutting edge further..?? Theranostics revolved around them early on, but now Oz seems to be running hard at it...

[GreenStreet]

looks like a promising development. Anything that can improve accuracy should only improve things. Not sure whether it can pick up all micrometasteses

[Nfler]

Excellent article n too bad it wasn’t around when we did ours but hopefully will help in detecting microscopic metastatic cells in BCR and future trx…

[Ian99]

Thanks for posting. I saw this report in Times of London. It strikes me as Pluvicto with a surgical option. Makes me wonder why I would undergo surgery if chemistry can do the job.

[cujoe in reply to Ian99]

Sounds like the possible foundation for a future clinical trial.