A pilot study of near-infrared fluorescence guided surgery for primary tumor localization and lymph node mapping in colorectal cancer

Background: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of near-infrared fluorescence imaging for primary tumor localization, lymph node mapping, and metastatic lymph node detection in colorectal cancer (CRC) using indocyanine green (ICG). Methods: A total of 11 patients with CRC were prospectively enrolled. ICG (25 mg dissolved in 30 mL sterile water) was intravenously injected preoperatively, and the fluorescence intensity of the primary tumor, lymph nodes, and normal tissues, as well as the signal-to-background ratio (SBR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were measured at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 24 h after ICG injection. Results: The primary tumor could be located intraoperatively, and the tumor boundary was clear at 2-4 h. There was good contrast in the fluorescence intensity between tumor and normal tissues (SBR =2.11 +/- 0.36, CNR =8.74 +/- 0.35). The lymph node detection rate was 95% (38/40), and the SBR threshold of lymph nodes was 1.13. Conclusions: This pilot study showed that primary tumor localization and lymph node mapping in CRC is feasible using near-infrared fluorescence imaging technology, though metastatic lymph nodes cannot be discriminated from benign ones. In addition, cancer nodules missed by both white light mode and palpation by the surgeon were unexpectedly found, resulting in a change in the surgical prognosis in 9.1% (1/11) of patients.

Automated summary

This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of using near-infrared fluorescence imaging with ICG for primary tumor localization and lymph node mapping in CRC. While metastatic lymph nodes cannot be distinguished from benign ones, unexpected cancer nodules missed by traditional methods were found, impacting the surgical prognosis in a small percentage of patients.