Thanks to the use of modern fluorescent visualization technology, doctors at Ichilov Medical Center were able to detect the spread of melanoma in a patient that went unnoticed using standard methods.
A 74-year-old patient noticed six months ago that one of her moles had changed color and texture. She immediately consulted a dermatologist who removed the suspicious growth and sent it for analysis. The results confirmed melanoma.
The patient’s closest relatives, her sister and niece, immediately began searching for the best doctor who could help in this situation. They managed to arrange a consultation with Dr. Eran Nazri, the head of the Melanoma Surgical Treatment Department at Ichilov Medical Center. During the first meeting, the doctor proposed treatment using the unique advanced ICG technology, which provides the highest precision, as well as effectiveness and safety in treatment.
Dr. Nazri explains that in most cases of surgical treatment for melanoma, it is necessary to remove the sentinel lymph node, which is then sent for analysis to determine the extent of cancer spread. This analysis helps determine if other lymph nodes need to be removed. The current standard procedure for this involves radioactive labeling: a day before the surgery, the patient is injected with a special radioactive contrast agent in the tumor area, which subsequently accumulates in malignant cells. During the surgery, doctors use a Geiger counter that emits an audible signal when approaching the lymph nodes that have accumulated the contrast and are therefore affected by cancer.
“During the comparisons we conducted during the new type of surgery, to our surprise, we discovered that fluorescent visualization technology allowed us to detect cancer-affected lymph nodes that did not react to the Geiger counter. In other words, with the standard procedure, they could have been missed, which could cost someone their life,” says Dr. Nazri.
The new procedure using ICG technology is only performed at Ichilov and allows for the identification of cancer-affected lymph nodes that remain unnoticed by standard methods. This significantly increases accuracy in oncological surgery and enables better outcomes. After the two-hour operation, the patient was successfully discharged home.
