Night-Vision Camera Enables Surgeons to Spot Colon Cancer Cells

Researchers in Scotland report promising results from tests of a system for finding colon cancer malignancies at an earlier and more treatable stage by making cancer cells glow.

Patients at Glasgow University were given a photoactive drug that causes cancer cells to turn fluorescent when lit by ultraviolet lighting. Researchers then used a sensitive "night vision" camera fitted to an endoscope. The camera amplified the fluorescent glow so physicians could see it more easily.

"What we're doing is encoding fluorescent color information so that the cancer shows up green," reported Professor Miles Padgett at the British Association science festival being held at Glasgow University. "Surgeons can find these highlighted areas and then take a closer look."

Researchers are hopeful that the night vision technology will help physicians diagnose certain internal cancers of the gastrointestinal tract much earlier than is currently possible.

Other Sources: Press Association