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Fluorescence-Guided Surgery
Surgical procedures are the primary mode of treatment for cancer diseases. Over 60% of patients with lung, breast, bladder and colorectal cancer will undergo surgery with the goal of safely removing as much cancer as possible.
The ability to locate and resect the tumor generally relies on the surgeon’s ability to locate pathology with conventional white light imaging. During the procedure, the limiting surface visualisation between tumors and background tissue may cause many small tumors to be missed. To combat this discrepancy, Fluorescence-guided surgery is a game-changing aid.
The FGS is a medical imaging technique that can be used to define tumor location and margins during the procedure. Not only does this improve the intraoperative visualization of tumors, cells, and nerves, but it also improves the safety of the surgery, allowing for precision by avoiding unnecessary damage to normal tissue. Use of indocyanine green (ICG) in any major resection helps us to confirm the vascularity of the remaining tissue and thus reduce complications. This technique is known to reduce operative time and decrease the need for second-look surgeries.
FGS has been currently used for multiple surgical situations. It is used in procedures such as:
- Gallbladder removal
- Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) mapping
- Identification of solid tumors
- Lymphography
- Anatomical imaging during surgery
Just before fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) procedure, contrast agents or targeted imaging probes are typically injected into the bloodstream of patients. This lights up targeted cancer cells and tumors under specialized cameras and light sources used by surgeons, allowing them to accurately visualize and label the tumor’s location, anatomy, margins or other critical structures. This enhanced visualization can be used in open, laparoscopic and robotic surgeries to identify critical or important structures and blood flow in tissues.
Veritas Cancer Care is the first cancer team to be using this new technology in Chennai. The 12-person oncology team, headed by Dr Venkat P, is extremely well-trained in the cutting-edge technology of fluorescence-guided surgery, which helps decrease the complications that arise from other types of surgeries.
Dr Venkat is one of the first few doctors in the country to perform guided lymph node clearance using fluorescence-guided surgery to ensure the removal of all tumor tissue. Fluorescence-guided surgery is still in its nascent stage in our country and is not often used by surgeons. But Dr Venkat strongly believes in this method for his patients and utilises it for almost all his cases.
Veritas Cancer Care is also one of the few cancer teams in Chennai to use Fluorescence-Guided Surgery for cancer treatment in Chennai. Headed by Dr Venkat P, our team of surgical oncologists guarantee you will receive prompt care and treatment.
