An initial study by a group of researchers has revealed a new imaging technology for cancer, which is likely to enable surgeons to detect all the affected cells in a single attempt that will reduce the requirement for a follow-up surgery.

The senior author of the study, Dr. David Kirsch, explained that the surgeon’s aim is to detect and remove the tumor after a patient is diagnosed with cancer.

Kirsch, who is also a professor in the department of pharmacology and cancer biology, and the department of radiation oncology at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, added that despite the surgeon’s best attempts, at times certain minute cancer cells remain behind.

The initial study involved directly injecting a blue liquid, known as LUM015, into the affected region. Subsequently, the liquid reaches the tumor tissue and avoids spreading to healthy tissue. A specific enzyme named protease, which is crucial in growth of cancer, is then looked for by the liquid since the malignant cells contain huge levels of these enzymes. Following the tumor-removal surgery, the affected location is investigated through a hand-operated imaging technique, which detects the residual cancer tissues that glow around five times more than the healthy tissue. Thus, the surgeons can immediately remove these malignant cells, theoretically eradicating the need for another surgery.

The main problem that surgeons face is detecting the location of cancer, according to Dr. Stephen Freedland, Director of the Center for Integrated Research on Cancer and Lifestyle at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. "So better imaging is always needed. Because with a big, massive tumor, it's easy to see the cancer. But when it's just a few cells or a small tumor, it's very hard to see and properly target therapy”, said Freedland. Duke, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Lumicell together undertook this study.