A new tool is helping surgeons at AdventHealth transform lung cancer surgery and help save more lives. Cytalux is a fluorescent dye that lights up cancer cells during surgery. As the first hospital in Florida and the second in the U.S. to use this groundbreaking technology, AdventHealth is providing faster, more accurate treatment for patients.
“This new advancement helps patients by reducing the need for secondary surgeries and minimizing operating room time,” explains Dr. Colleen Gaughan, thoracic surgeon at the AdventHealth Heart, Lung and Vascular Institute.
Cytalux is administered as an IV medication before surgery and circulates through the patient’s body during the procedure.
“It gets taken up by the tumor and then during surgery, while (the patient is) already asleep, we use our special near-infrared camera to then see the (cancerous) tumor glowing in real time,” Gaughan recently told Yahoo News. She added that it helps surgeons pinpoint affected areas with more precision.
“Before this was available to us, we had to rely on CT scans or invasive techniques like injecting dye or placing wires into the tumor,” Gaughan told the CancerNetwork. “These older methods added time and expense to the procedure.”
This innovation has already saved lives, including Reena Caprario, who was diagnosed with stage one lung cancer last year.
“My lymph nodes under my armpits were hurting. I thought, this isn’t normal,” Caprario said. After her surgery with Dr. Gaughan, she has been cancer-free for over a year. Caprario is one of more than 40 patients who have benefitted from using Cytalux during surgery at AdventHealth Celebration.
“They (patients) experience little to no side effects. The most common side effects are itching or nausea,” Gaughan told Becker’s Healthcare podcast.
Dr. Gaughan credits early detection, advanced technology, and her dedicated team for these life-changing results. She urges high-risk individuals to get screened annually.
“If you know that something is wrong, don’t blow it off,” Caprario advises during a recent WFTV News interview.
AdventHealth Medical Group is excited to announce the opening of a new primary and urgent care clinic in Summerville this February.
AdventHealth Medical Group is pleased to announce that Elisa Jaramillo-Mayor, MD, has joined AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Adairsville Health Park.
AdventHealth researchers discovered that everyday movement may help support brain health long before memory or focus becomes a concern.
When a cardiac emergency struck at a local theme park, quick action from an AdventHealth team member played a crucial role in saving a life and reuniting a family.
AdventHealth Murray has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation in mammography by the American College of Radiology® (ACR®).
For patients waiting for a second chance at life, time matters. So does trust, compassion, and the belief that healing is possible.
People often associate exercise and diet with appearance and cardiovascular health. Yet science reveals an important link between the gut, brain and movement.
For Jared Ediger, becoming a nurse, and specifically an oncology nurse navigator, was shaped by human connection long before it became a career.
AdventHealth Medical Group is pleased to announce that Alison Petty, NP-C, has joined AdventHealth Medical Group Family Medicine at Adairsville Health Park.
AdventHealth Medical Group is pleased to welcome Aaron W. Barton, MD, MS, a board-certified endocrinologist, to its growing team of physicians, expanding access to specialized, whole-person care for...
Mateo’s birth marked the arrival of something big -- a life-changing moment for his parents and the return of labor and delivery services to the community after a temporary closure in 2023.
Older adults are finding new confidence and connection through a partnership between AdventHealth Well 65+ and the Senior Resource Alliance.
