In South Jersey, Virtua Health is the first provider to offer Cytalux® (pafolacianine), a revolutionary drug that lights up lung cancer cells during surgery. Thoracic surgeon Dr. Matthew Puc, program director of the Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Cancer Program in Marlton, NJ, describes Cytalux as a groundbreaking product that will enhance surgical accuracy and improve 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. Cytalux enables surgeons to better visualize the tumor edges, increasing their ability to completely remove the cancer while preserving as much healthy tissue as possible. The drug also aids in detecting secondary tumors that may not be visible on imaging scans.
During a clinical trial, Cytalux helped surgeons identify a lung cancer lesion that was not detected with conventional methods in 19% of patients. Additionally, in 8% of patients, Cytalux identified a second cancerous lesion that was overlooked by pre-operative imaging. Dr. Puc emphasizes that without Cytalux, these tumors would have remained undetected. The drug has the potential to reduce cancer recurrences and improve survival rates by enabling surgeons to locate and completely remove more cancers.
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 highlights 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