Bright idea: Drug infusion lights up small lung cancer tumors to guide complex surgery
Fluorescent imaging agent visualizes cancerous cells during patient Jane Jud ' s lung cancer surgery in February 2026
One of Jane Jud’ s three cancerous lung nodules was small and in a hard‐to‐reach spot in her left upper lobe. It would be difficult for her surgeons to locate and extract it.
But during Jud’ s surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine in February 2026, doctors used a novel fluorescent imaging agent that gave her lung cancer cells a bright green glow, offering a clear view and allowing them to successfully remove her cancer.
Jud, 77, is the first patient at UChicago Medicine to receive Cytalux( pafolacianine), a drug that provides a stark visual contrast so lung cancer is easier for surgeons to see.