In a significant leap forward for successful cancer surgery, researchers at the University of Missouri and collaborators have developed a new imaging probe to help surgeons more accurately identify and remove aggressive tumors during operations.

The tool is expected to be a critical advancement in the fight against glioblastoma, one of the most difficult-to-treat brain cancers. In the future, it is intended to be expanded for image-guided surgery of various other solid tumors.

Described in a new study in Nature Publishing Group Imaging, the innovation works by pairing a fluorescent dye with a fatty acid molecule that cancer cells readily absorb. When introduced into the body, the compound is taken up by tumor cells, causing them to glow under near-infrared light, revealing cancer that might otherwise remain hidden.

Glioblastoma is considered surgically incurable because the tumor doesn’t stay in one place — it spreads and invades healthy brain tissue in a diffuse, microscopic way. This makes it impossible to remove completely without risking serious damage to brain function.

“Surgery remains one of the primary treatments for many cancers,” Elena Goun, associate professor of chemistry in the College of Arts and Science and one of the lead authors of the study, said. “In breast or prostate cancer, surgeons can often remove the tumor along with surrounding tissue. In brain cancer, that’s simply not possible. You must preserve healthy brain tissue. But if even a few cancer cells are left behind, the disease will return.”