Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2022 Apr;48(4):810-821.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejso.2021.10.005. Epub 2021 Oct 9.

Fluorescence-guided surgery in colorectal cancer; A review on clinical results and future perspectives

Hidde A Galema  1 , Ruben P J Meijer  2 , Lorraine J Lauwerends  3 , Cornelis Verhoef  4 , Jacobus Burggraaf  2 , Alexander L Vahrmeijer  5 , Merlijn Hutteman  5 , Stijn Keereweer  3 , Denise E Hilling  6
Affiliations
Free article
Review

Fluorescence-guided surgery in colorectal cancer; A review on clinical results and future perspectives

Hidde A Galema et al. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2022 Apr.
Free article

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is the fourth most diagnosed malignancy worldwide and surgery is one of the cornerstones of the treatment strategy. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging is a new and upcoming technique, which uses an NIR fluorescent agent combined with a specialised camera that can detect light in the NIR range. It aims for more precise surgery with improved oncological outcomes and a reduction in complications by improving discrimination between different structures.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted in the Embase, Medline and Cochrane databases with search terms corresponding to 'fluorescence-guided surgery', 'colorectal surgery', and 'colorectal cancer' to identify all relevant trials.

Results: The following clinical applications of fluorescence guided surgery for colorectal cancer were identified and discussed: (1) tumour imaging, (2) sentinel lymph node imaging, (3) imaging of distant metastases, (4) imaging of vital structures, (5) imaging of perfusion. Both experimental and FDA/EMA approved fluorescent agents are debated. Furthermore, promising future modalities are discussed.

Conclusion: Fluorescence-guided surgery for colorectal cancer is a rapidly evolving field. The first studies show additional value of this technique regarding change in surgical management. Future trials should focus on patient related outcomes such as complication rates, disease free survival, and overall survival.

Keywords: Colorectal cancer; Fluorescence-guided surgery; Of vital structures; Sentinel lymph node imaging; Tumour imaging; imaging of perfusion.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest Alexander L Vahrmeijer and Cornelis Verhoef are local principal investigators of several industry driven studies initiated by Surgimab (Montpellier, France) using SGM-101 without any personal financial interests. Surgimab was not involved in the process of creating this manuscript. The other authors declare no competing interests. Study concepts: S.K., D.H. Study design: H.G., R.M., S.K., D.H. Data acquisition: H.G., R.M. Quality control of data and algorithms: H.G., R.M. Data analysis and interpretation: na Statistical analysis: na Manuscript preparation: H.G., R.M., S.K., D.H. Manuscript editing: H.G., R.M., S.K., D.H. Manuscript review: L.L., C.V., J.B., A.V., M.H.