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

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks as some of the frequent cancers globally, with over 650,000 new circumstances reported every year. Surgical intervention is commonly 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 potential. This stability is essential, as harm to close by nerves can result in important post-surgical problems, affecting sufferers’ high quality of life.

A workforce of researchers from Oregon Well being & Science College and Thayer Faculty of Engineering at Dartmouth has made strides in addressing this problem by creating a brand new imaging method that enhances the visibility of each tumors and nerves throughout surgical procedure. As reported within the Journal of Biomedical Optics, their examine 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 varieties of fluorophores may very well be used collectively to obviously differentiate between cancerous tissues and nerves. The nerve-specific fluorophore confirmed no important interference from surrounding tumor tissues, guaranteeing correct nerve visualization even within the presence of most cancers.

This development in FGS gives a promising software for surgeons, doubtlessly bettering their capability to carry out most cancers resections whereas minimizing nerve harm. By integrating this system into medical follow, the researchers hope to reinforce surgical outcomes and cut back the long-term problems related to HNSCC surgical procedure.