As featured on 29 News, UVA Health is the first in Virginia to use a new tool in the operating room that could improve outcomes for lung cancer patients.
It’s called Cytalux, a prescription medication given to patients before surgery that causes cancerous tissue to glow under a special light.
That glow helps surgeons identify and remove tumors that may be too small or hidden to spot with the naked eye, especially in harder-to-reach areas of the lungs.
“When we’re in the operating room, while we’re using our usual surgical equipment, we just change the light a little bit to a different wavelength and all of a sudden this nodule will glow or fluoresce and it makes it really, really easy to find,” UVA Health Chief of Thoracic Surgery Doctor Linda Martin said.
Surgeons at UVA Health say Cytalux is already helping them operate with more confidence and ultimately could help give patients a better shot at recovery.