New Procedure Allows Local Docs To Spot Dangerous Tumors Earlier
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A local hospital has a new tool to help diagnose an aggressive form of bladder cancer.
More than 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with bladder cancer each year. Often, it's easy to spot the tumors, but some tumors grow flat against the bladder wall and can go undetected.
"Many times, these are not obvious to the naked eye and this is really where the cystview really shines by allowing us to see these flat cancers you may not be able to see on a visual inspection of the bladder," says Dr. Leonard Gomella, chairman of Urology at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
Gomella says, with this procedure, called Blue Light Cystoscopy, a chemical dye, which lights up the tumors, is injected into the bladder, and then doctors take a look.
"It helps us to improve our visualization of tumors and the more effectively we can see where the tumors are in the bladder, the more effective our treatment can be in eradicating those tumors."
He says Jefferson is the only institution in the mid-Atlantic region using Blue Light Cystoscopy.
Reported by Lynne Adkins KYW Newsradio 1060
