LONDON (dpa-AFX) - The scientists and surgeons at the University of Oxford in collaboration with the California-based biotech company ImaginAb Inc. have developed a glowing dye to identify cancerous tissue, enabling surgeons to completely eradicate the disease.
'We are giving the surgeon a second pair of eyes to see where the cancer cells are and if they have spread,' explained Freddie Hamdy, lead author and professor of surgery at the University of Oxford. 'With this technique, we can strip all the cancer away, including the cells that have spread from the tumour, which could give it the chance to come back later.'
According to the European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, the dye is combined with a targeting molecule known as IR800-IAB2M, both of which would attach themselves to a protein called prostate-specific membrane antigen, usually found on the surface of prostate cancer cells.
During the first trial of the study, funded by Cancer Research UK, 23 men with prostate cancer were injected with the dye before undergoing surgery to remove prostates. Later, a special imaging system was used to shine a light on dye to make it glow.
'It's the first time we've managed to see such fine details of prostate cancer in real time during surgery,' said Hamdy. 'It also allows us to preserve as much of the healthy structures around the prostate as we can, to reduce unnecessary life-changing side-effects like incontinence and erectile dysfunction'.
Hamdy continued, 'Prostate surgery is life-changing. We want patients to leave the operating theatre knowing that we have done everything possible to eradicate their cancer and give them the best quality of life afterwards. I believe this technique makes that possibility a reality.'
The scientists are now planning to conduct a larger trial to further test the effectiveness of the dye.
Copyright(c) 2024 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2024 AFX News
