Trial reportBreast cancer research : BCR2021
Intraoperative fluorescence imaging with aminolevulinic acid detects grossly occult breast cancer: a phase II randomized controlled trial.
Trial report in Breast cancer research : BCR, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01837225 (ALA-induced Fluorescence Imaging of Breast Cancers Using the Handheld PRODIGI and Eagle Imaging Devices), which is not on this map. Cited by 20 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
ALA-induced Fluorescence Imaging of Breast Cancers Using the Handheld PRODIGI and Eagle Imaging Devices
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 31 citations in OpenAlex.
- Diagnostic accuracy and surgical outcomes of fluorescence-guided surgery in breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.World journal of surgical oncology · 2026Pooled it
- Fluorescence imaging for real-time detection of breast cancer tumors using IV injection of indocyanine green with non-conventional imaging: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical studies of perioperative imaging technologies.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2024Pooled it
- Fluorescence guided surgery imaging systems for breast cancer identification: a systematic review.Journal of biomedical optics · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Beyond chemotherapy: the evolving role of photodynamic therapy in triple-negative breast cancer.Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England) · 2026Review
- Intraoperative NIR-II fluorescence guidance for precise tumor margin assessment and maximized tissue preservation in breast surgery.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2026Article
- Intraoperative measurement of breast-conserving surgery margins: surgical application.Breast cancer research : BCR · 2026Review
- Intraoperative nerve-specific fluorescence visualization in head and neck surgery: a Phase 1 trial.Nature communications · 2025Article
- The Use of Fluorescent Markers to Detect and Delineate Head and Neck Cancer: A Scoping Review.Clinical otolaryngology : official journal of ENT-UK ; official journal of Netherlands Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology & Cervico-Facial Surgery · 2025Article
- Technologies and techniques to improve precision in breast conserving surgery.Journal of surgical oncology · 2025Review
- Article
- Review of Clinically Assessed Molecular Fluorophores for Intraoperative Image Guided Surgery.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- A handheld device for intra-cavity and ex vivo fluorescence imaging of breast conserving surgery margins with 5-aminolevulinic acid.BMC biomedical engineering · 2024Article
- Deep learning-enabled realistic virtual histology with ultraviolet photoacoustic remote sensing microscopy.Nature communications · 2023Article
- Customizable optical tissue phantom platform for characterization of fluorescence imaging device sensitivity.Journal of biomedical optics · 2023Article
- Guidance in breast-conserving surgery: tumour localization versus identification.The British journal of surgery · 2023Article
- The use of nanomaterials in advancing photodynamic therapy (PDT) for deep-seated tumors and synergy with radiotherapy.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Review
- Enlarging the Scope of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Photodiagnosis towards Breast Cancers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Article
- Multimodal imaging needle combining optical coherence tomography and fluorescence for imaging of live breast cancer cells labeled with a fluorescent analog of tamoxifen.Journal of biomedical optics · 2022Article
- Emerging and future use of intra-surgical volumetric X-ray imaging and adjuvant tools for decision support in breast-conserving surgery.Current opinion in biomedical engineering · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
26 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundRe-excision due to positive margins following breast-conserving surgery (BCS) negatively affects patient outcomes and healthcare costs. The inability to visualize margin involvement is a significant challenge in BCS. 5-Aminolevulinic acid hydrochloride (5-ALA HCl), a non-fluorescent oral prodrug, causes intracellular accumulation of fluorescent porphyrins in cancer cells. This single-center Phase II randomized controlled trial evaluated the safety, feasibility, and diagnostic accuracy of a prototype handheld fluorescence imaging device plus 5-ALA for intraoperative visualization of invasive breast carcinomas during BCS.
methodsFifty-four patients were enrolled and randomized to receive no 5-ALA or oral 5-ALA HCl (15 or 30 mg/kg). Forty-five patients (n = 15/group) were included in the analysis. Fluorescence imaging of the excised surgical specimen was performed, and biopsies were collected from within and outside the clinically demarcated tumor border of the gross specimen for blinded histopathology.
resultsIn the absence of 5-ALA, tissue autofluorescence imaging lacked tumor-specific fluorescent contrast. Both 5-ALA doses caused bright red tumor fluorescence, with improved visualization of tumor contrasted against normal tissue autofluorescence. In the 15 mg/kg 5-ALA group, the positive predictive value (PPV) for detecting breast cancer inside and outside the grossly demarcated tumor border was 100.0% and 55.6%, respectively. In the 30 mg/kg 5-ALA group, the PPV was 100.0% and 50.0% inside and outside the demarcated tumor border, respectively. No adverse events were observed, and clinical feasibility of this imaging device-5-ALA combination approach was confirmed.
conclusionsThis is the first known clinical report of visualization of 5-ALA-induced fluorescence in invasive breast carcinoma using a real-time handheld intraoperative fluorescence imaging device.
trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier NCT01837225 . Registered 23 April 2013.
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Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.