WEST LAFAYETTE — A cancer imaging drug invented by a Purdue University professor has now received FDA approval for a second type of cancer.
Cytalux helps make tumors more easily identifiable by illuminating them and making them glow against healthy, noncancerous tissue. Cytalux was given FDA approval Friday for doctors to use during lung cancer surgery.
"So far, in the clinical trials to date, surgeons have been able to find additional cancer in almost 2/3 of all patients that are being treated with Cytalux," Dr. Philip Lowsaid.
According to the CDC, more people in the United States die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. It's the third most common cancer in the U.S.
In the future, Low hopes Cytalux will help surgeons move closer to the goal of removing all cancer tissue during surgery.
The drug was approved last year for use in ovarian cancer patients.
More information is available here.
