A special type of glowing marker dye could help surgeons identify and remove prostate cancer cells, even those not visible to the naked eye, in real-time, according to new study findings published in the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
The new technique was tried on 23 men with prostate cancer who were injected with the fluorescent dye attached to a special marker molecule before undergoing robot-assisted surgery to remove the prostate. The dye found areas of cancerous tissue not picked up by the naked eye or other clinical methods. The dye works by sticking to a protein found on the surface of prostate cancer cells. An imaging system that shines a special type of light on the prostate and nearby areas to make the prostate cancer cells glow was used by the surgeons.
The dye helped the surgeons identify and remove all cancerous tissues, even those that had spread from the tumour into nearby pelvic tissues and lymph nodes, thus significantly reducing the possibility of cancer coming back. The technique also helps preserve healthy tissues which meant fewer surgery related life-changing side effects like incontinence and erectile dysfunction.
This marker dye could also be used for other types of cancer, by changing the target protein it uses to cling to cancer cells, researchers said. "We are giving the surgeon a second pair of eyes to see where the cancer cells are and if they have spread. It is the first time we have managed to see such fine details of prostate cancer in real time during surgery,” the lead researcher said.