Current and Future Applications of Fluorescence-Guided Surgery in Head and Neck Cancer

Abstract

Despite improvements in medical management of head and neck cancers, positive surgical margin rates have remained relatively unchanged in the past 30 years, emphasizing a need for improved intraoperative imaging and tumor visualization. This review provides a detailed summary on preoperative anatomic imaging techniques, nonspecific fluorescence imaging modalities, the recent emergence of tumor-targeting fluorophores for intraoperative imaging, and the future of fluorescence-guided surgery in head and neck cancer.

Keywords: Fluorescence-guided surgery; Near-infrared imaging; Nonspecific fluorophores; Positive surgical margins; Tumor-targeting fluorophores.