As a journalist, I rewrote the article to make it unique. Here’s my version:
In this image, you can see how a tumor would look on a scan with Cytalux, a revolutionary drug that highlights lung cancer cells for surgeons to identify and remove malignant tumors during surgery. Virtua Health is the first provider in South Jersey to offer this advancement known as Cytalux® (pafolacianine). Thoracic surgeon Dr. Matthew Puc, program director of the Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Cancer Program in Marlton, NJ, describes Cytalux as a game-changer in cancer care.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, with around 240,000 new diagnoses and 130,000 deaths annually. In New Jersey, over 5,000 people are diagnosed with lung cancer each year. With Cytalux, surgeons can better visualize the edges of tumors and completely remove them while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. The drug also helps detect secondary tumors that may not be visible on imaging scans.
During clinical trials, Cytalux helped surgeons identify lung cancer lesions missed by conventional methods in 19% of patients. Additionally, in 8% of patients, Cytalux identified a second cancerous lesion overlooked by pre-operative imaging. Without Cytalux, these tumors would have gone unnoticed. The drug has the potential to reduce cancer recurrences and improve survival rates by enabling surgeons to locate and remove more cancers accurately.
Cytalux is administered intravenously (IV) approximately one hour before surgery. The drug binds to lung cancer cells and illuminates when viewed through a specialized surgical camera. Dr. Puc emphasizes Virtua Health’s commitment to providing advanced cancer care to patients in South Jersey and expresses excitement about introducing this cutting-edge technology to the community. For more information about cancer care at Virtua Health, individuals can visit virtua
