NIR-II fluorescence image-guided surgery prolongs the relapse-free survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Surgery plays a key role in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but radical dissection has long been a challenge ( 1 Wang X. Teh C.S.C. Ishizawa T. Aoki T. Cavallucci D. Lee S.Y. et al. Consensus Guidelines for the Use of Fluorescence Imaging in Hepatobiliary Surgery. Annals of Surgery. 2021 Jul; 274: 97-106 Crossref PubMed Scopus (120) Google Scholar , 2 Zhu W. Zeng X. Hu H. Xiang N. Zeng N. Wen S. et al. Perioperative and Disease-Free Survival Outcomes after Hepatectomy for Centrally Located Hepatocellular Carcinoma Guided by Augmented Reality and Indocyanine Green Fluorescence Imaging: A Single-Center Experience. J Am Coll Surg. 2023 Feb 1; 236: 328-337 Crossref Scopus (6) Google Scholar ). A series of clinical studies have shown the great potential of fluorescence molecular imaging (FMI) to improve surgical efficacy, by visualizing occult lesions with a superior sensitivity in comparison to direct visual inspection and palpation ( 3 Lauwerends L.J. van Driel P.B.A.A. Baatenburg de Jong R.J. Hardillo J.A.U. Koljenovic S. Puppels G. et al. Real-time fluorescence imaging in intraoperative decision making for cancer surgery. Lancet Oncol. 2021 May; 22: e186-e195 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (120) Google Scholar , 4 Wang K. Du Y. Zhang Z. He K. Cheng Z. Yin L. et al. Fluorescence image-guided tumour surgery. Nat Rev Bioeng. 2023 Mar; 1: 161-179 Crossref Google Scholar ).