Cysview Blue Light Cystoscopy Technology for Bladder Cancer Available at Moffitt Cancer Center
Each year, approximately 80,000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer. And, 75% of all bladder cancers are non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), a type of tumor found in the inner layer of cells of the bladder inside wall that has not yet spread into the detrusor muscle.
Today, patients with suspected or diagnosed NMIBC have expanded, improved options to detect and remove bladder tumors. A new imaging technology, Cysview Blue Light Cystoscopy (BLC), can be used to help surgeons to better detect and remove as many cancer cells as possible.
Cysview BLC for Non-Invasive Bladder Cancer
The Department of Genitourinary Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center is now offering FDA-approved advanced technology for bladder cancer surgery. Moffitt is the first hospital in Florida and the Southeast to offer the Image1 S™ SAPHIRA™" system to be used in combination with Cysview® Blue Light Cystoscopy imaging agent to illuminate cancer cells.
Standard cystoscopies only use white light, and historically, bladder cancer has had a high risk of recurrence (78% in five years) and progression (25% progression rate), but it could be that some of the cancer cells were missed under white light alone. Cysview Blue Light Cystoscopy uses blue and white light along with a locally instilled imaging agent to provide surgeons with next-level visualization by illuminating cancer cells.
Cysview makes cancer cells glow pink under blue light, though it’s not a dye. It’s a variant of a naturally occurring molecule in the body, aminolaevulinic acid (ALA), that increases the volume of another natural compound (photoactive porphyrins) in cells. Since the unhealthy (cancerous) cells can’t process out the porphyrins as fast as healthy cells do, they will glow if Cysview is instilled about an hour before surgery.
Patients undergoing the Cysview BLC arrive at least one hour before the procedure. A Moffitt expert will reconstitute Cysview into a liquid, placing a small amount of it into the bladder with a catheter. After an hour, the procedure will begin, and, using a cystoscope, the surgeon will first examine the wall of the bladder under white light. Then, they’ll view pink lesions in blue light, remove the tumor in white light, and re-check the margins in blue light to ensure a clean margin of healthy tissue at the resection site.
Cysview can be used for both detection and management of NMIBC in patients who are suspected or known to have bladder lesions based on prior cystoscopy or testing.
Cysview BLC's Proven Results
Cysview has been proven to improve the detection and visibility of NMIBC during diagnosis, disease management, and ongoing surveillance. In one study, 21% of recurrent patients were only found with Cysview. In another clinical study, 16% of patients in the OR had additional tumors only found with Cysview.
It has been used for over 500,000 patients worldwide and has helped urologists better evaluate, identify, and remove tumors that may be difficult to see under white light alone.
When used as an adjunct to White Light Cystoscopy, Cysview BLC is improving the gold standard diagnostic tool for bladder cancer detection. It can also help doctors more accurately determine the stage and grade of a patient’s cancer by detecting more lesions, providing the opportunity for precise, individualized treatment.
Moffitt is dedicated to staying at the frontlines of the latest advancements in cancer care, including technology that improves detection, and, ultimately, patient outcomes. Moffitt is the safest place to be for those with a cancer suspicion or diagnosis, with cancer survival rates up to four times higher than national averages.
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