Fluorescence-guided imaging technique could improve head and neck cancer surgery

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks as one of the crucial widespread cancers globally, with over 650,000 new circumstances reported annually. Surgical intervention is usually the first remedy, however surgeons face a troublesome problem: they need to utterly take away the most cancers whereas preserving as a lot surrounding wholesome tissue as attainable. This stability is essential, as injury to close by nerves can result in vital post-surgical problems, affecting sufferers’ high quality of life.

A staff of researchers from Oregon Well being & Science College and Thayer College of Engineering at Dartmouth has made strides in addressing this problem by creating a brand new imaging approach that enhances the visibility of each tumors and nerves throughout surgical procedure. As reported within the Journal of Biomedical Optics, their research centered on utilizing fluorescence-guided surgical procedure (FGS) with two totally different near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores—one particular to tumors and one other to facial nerves.

In experiments utilizing a human HNSCC xenograft mannequin, the researchers efficiently demonstrated that the 2 sorts of fluorophores might be used collectively to obviously differentiate between cancerous tissues and nerves. The nerve-specific fluorophore confirmed no vital interference from surrounding tumor tissues, making certain correct nerve visualization even within the presence of most cancers.

This development in FGS presents a promising software for surgeons, doubtlessly enhancing their capacity to carry out most cancers resections whereas minimizing nerve injury. By integrating this method into medical follow, the researchers hope to boost surgical outcomes and scale back the long-term problems related to HNSCC surgical procedure.