Abstract
Introduction
5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) was approved by the FDA in June 2017 as an intra-operative optical imaging agent for patients with gliomas (suspected World Health Organization Grades III or IV on preoperative imaging) as an adjunct for the visualization of malignant tissue during surgery. 5-ALA fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) has been in widespread use in Europe and other continents since 2007.
Methods
We reviewed the data available and summarize the most important known uses of 5-ALA FGS and its potential future applications.
Results/conclusions
The technique has been extensively studied, and more than 300 papers have been published on this topic. Visualization of high-grade glioma tissue is robust and reproducible, and can impact the extent of tumor resection and patient outcomes. 5-ALA FGS for other kind of tumors needs further development.
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References
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Walter Stummer has received speaker and consultant fees by Carl Zeiss, Leica, Medac, NXDC. Constantinos Hadjipanayis is a consultant for NXDC and Synaptive Medical Inc. He will receive potential royalties from NXDC. He has also received speaker fees by Carl Zeiss and Leica. Ricardo Díez Valle has received speaker fees by Medac.
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Díez Valle, R., Hadjipanayis, C.G. & Stummer, W. Established and emerging uses of 5-ALA in the brain: an overview. J Neurooncol 141, 487–494 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-018-03087-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11060-018-03087-7