Atlantic Health System among first in the world to utilize CYTALUX® to light up cancer in real time during surgery

MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) –– Atlantic Health System, a leading provider of health care in New Jersey, recently announced its use of CYTALUX®, the only FDA-approved fluorescent imaging technology to light up early-stage lung cancer during surgery — enhancing a surgeon’s ability to visualize cancer in real-time.

Federico Steiner, MD, a Thoracic Surgeon at Atlantic Health System and the team at Overlook Medical Center, are the third team in the world to use the imaging agent in the surgical treatment of lung cancer outside of clinical trials and the first ever to use all three imaging modalities offered by the Stryker 1788 Platform in the treatment of lung cancer.

“The adoption of CYTALUX enhances our ability to detect and remove the smallest offenders during surgery in an effort to prevent the spread of cancer,” said Dr. Steiner. “I am proud that Atlantic Health System is among the first to adopt this technology; this is one of the many testaments of our commitment to bring the most advanced and innovative solutions in care to our patients. This type of innovation is important to achieve longer survival rates. We don’t want to be thinking about survival rates in terms of months. I want to see patients living cancer-free with a high quality of life beyond 10-15 years from now.”

Cancer patients undergoing evaluation for a lung nodule, which may indicate the presence of lung cancer, are eligible for the procedure. CYTALUX is especially helpful in patients with smaller lesions, which can be difficult to visualize with traditional methods.

CYTALUX is given to these patients before surgery via intravenous (IV) infusion and the solution circulates through the body, passing through non-cancerous tissue while binding to and “lighting up” cancer cells when viewed through a special surgical camera at the time of surgery. Now the surgeon can more easily see the cancerous tissue, making this method more effective in detecting lesions that may not be visible through traditional imaging methods.

The ability to detect and remove these lesions is crucial in preventing cancer from spreading.
During clinical trials, 19% of patients had lesions that their surgeons could not detect without using CYTALX, and 8% of surgeons identified one or more additional cancerous lesions with this technology.

This technology not only enhances the precision of lesion detection but also underscores how the adoption of innovative technology allows physicians at Atlantic Health System to leverage advanced solutions in the fight against cancer.

Visit the Atlantic Health System website to learn more about the variety of cancer care options available.