Scientists from the University of Oxford, UK, believe that a fluorescent dye specifically targeting prostate cancer cells could aid surgeons in locating and removing the cancer. Completely eradicating cancerous tissue can significantly reduce the risk of a recurrence. The dye holds onto a protein unique to the cancer cells, and was tested on 23 men in an early trial, with surgeons stating that it helped them locate areas of cancerous tissue that may not have been found via other techniques. In some patients, cancer cells that had spread to nearby tissue and lymph nodes were found using the dye.
The method was tested publicly for the first time in the UK in this trial, and a larger study, the Promote study, funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK), will expand on the findings. The Promote study will test the efficacy of the technique in contrast to other approaches. The study’s lead researcher, Professor Freddie Hamdy, noted that whilst it is too early to know the effectiveness on every patient, it is a promising technique that in some instances revealed cancer that otherwise would have gone undiscovered. Professor Hamdy believes that making use of the dye will also enable more healthy tissue to be conserved during procedures, thereby reducing the chances of side effects such as erectile dysfunction and incontinence.
As prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in males in the UK, it is important that cancer spread is identified as early as possible. Speaking on the potential of the dye technique, Dr Iain Foulkes, Executive Director of Research and Innovation at CRUK, said that better tools are needed to identify and locate cancers that have started to spread. Cancer Research UK hopes that positive trials may allow the dye to be developed for use during surgery for other cancer types
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