Renowned breast cancer expert Dr David Weintritt from GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences, US, recently visited India to hold clinical workshops on the role of Fluorescence Imaging in breast cancer surgery and reconstruction.

“Rising prevalence of cancer and complexity of surgeries we perform is making infrared fluorescence imaging increasingly critical as it is beneficial in detecting pathways of cancer spread more precisely and in preventing complications in breast cancer surgeries. Fluorescence Imaging uses near infrared technology and indocyanine green (ICG) dye that rapidly visualizes lymph nodes that can otherwise be challenging for surgeons to navigate. It has the potential to help save and improve lives of many patients suffering from breast cancer. Further, because the information is obtained real time during the surgery, we can now prevent several complications proactively and reduce the overall cost of healthcare,” stated Dr. Weintritt.

The multicity workshops on Fluorescence Imaging involved eminent surgical oncologist of India including Dr. SVS Deo, Prof and Head, Department of Surgical Oncology, AIIMS Delhi; Dr. Harit Chaturvedi, Chairman, Max Institute of Cancer Care, Saket; Prof. Chintamani, President – Association of Breast Surgeons of India, Dept of Surgery, Safdarjung Hospital, Delhi; Dr Geeta Kadayaprath, Director, Surgical Oncology, Max Hospital, Vaishali, New Delhi; Dr. Mahesh Bandemegal, Head of the Department and Surgical Oncologist, HCG, Bengaluru; Dr. Ravi Arujunan, Assistant Professor Surgery, Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology, Bengaluru; Dr Anil Kamath, Senior Surgical Oncologist, Apollo Hospital, Bengaluru; Dr KS Gopinath, Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Director – HCG, Bengaluru; Dr. Chandra CS Naidu, Senior Consultant, Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital & Research Institute, Hyderabad; Dr. Hemanth Vudayaraju, Consultant , Apollo Cancer Institute, Hyderabad; Dr P Raghu Ram, Director and Consultant Surgeon, Ushalakshmi Centre for Breast Diseases, KIMS, Hyderabad; Dr Praveen K Dadireddy, Consultant Breast Oncoplastic Surgeon, Continental Hospital, Hyderabad.

Using SPY-PHI technology surgeons can precisely follow the pathway of lymphatics in the patient’s body during surgery. Older techniques require removal of all lymph nodes associated with cancer which sometimes results in complications and high cases of lymphedema and chronic impairment of the arm. Fluorescence Imaging technology gives surgeons precise information about which lymph node, called Sentinel Lymph Node (SLN) should be removed, resulting in a more accurate outcome with fewer complications. The technology improves precision of cancer staging by giving improved detection rates of SLNs and less false positives.