Neurosurgeon, Dr. John Sinclair - fluorescence-guided brain cancer surgery (5-ALA)

Dr. John Sinclair, Director of Cerebrovascular Surgery and Neurosurgical Oncology at The Ottawa Hospital uses fluorescence-guided microscopy techniques to dramatically improve surgical results for brain cancer patients. The technique requires patients to drink a liquid containing 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) several hours before surgery. 5-ALA concentrates in the cancerous tissue and not in normal brain tissue. As a result, malignant gliomas “glow” a fluorescent pink color under a special blue wavelength of light generated by the microscope while the normal brain tissue does not fluoresce. This permits surgeons to achieve a complete resection of a tumour in many more patients, with recent studies demonstrating that this can now be achieved in 70% of surgeries as opposed to the previous 30% average.

“Seeing the brilliantly coloured tumours helps neurosurgeons remove more of the cancerous cells,” said Dr. Sinclair. “It’s like turning on the lights. You can actually see the difference between the tumour and the brain tissue. It’s dramatic.”

Added Dr. Sinclair, “Survival and quality of life are both dramatically impacted by this technology.”

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