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An injected dye that makes ovarian and lung cancer deposits glow during surgery so surgeons can find lesions they would otherwise miss.
Pafolacianine is a folate analogue conjugated to an indocyanine near-infrared dye. Injected before surgery, it binds folate receptor alpha, which is overexpressed on ovarian and lung adenocarcinoma cells, and fluoresces under NIR light so surgeons can see tumour deposits they would otherwise miss. In the phase 3 ovarian trial (2021) additional lesions were found in 27 to 33% of patients, and in ELUCIDATE in lung cancer (2022) 24% of patients had otherwise-undetected lesions or positive margins revealed. The FDA approved it in November 2021 for intraoperative imaging of ovarian cancer and in December 2022 for lung lesions; it requires NIR imaging systems in theatre, and folate-containing supplements are withheld beforehand. Whether finding more lesions improves survival is unproven. In short, pafolacianine makes cancer glow so the surgeon can find it.
Ball-and-stick model from PubChem 2D record (no 3D conformer available). PubChem record
Folate analogue conjugated to an indocyanine dye; binds folate receptor alpha on ovarian and lung adenocarcinoma cells and fluoresces under NIR light during surgery. Connects to Folate receptor alpha.
1.Pafolacianine slips into a pocket on Folate receptor alpha.
Intraoperative imaging agent given before surgery; bundled into the hospital procedure payment (Part A inpatient or Part B outpatient) rather than paid as a drug. CMS granted temporary pass-through payment in the outpatient setting after approval.
Bundled into the surgical claim; coverage follows the surgery. Some plans class it as investigational.
Sources: Medicare.gov: Chemotherapy · Medicare.gov: Prescription drugs (outpatient, Part B) · Medicare.gov: Inpatient hospital care (Part A). Not medical or financial advice; verify with your plan.
Sources: NICE search: pafolacianine. Funding decisions are indication-specific and change monthly; verify with NICE and your treating team.
Compare all products across the US, EU, UK, Japan, China and Australia →
| Region | Year | Indication |
|---|---|---|
| US | 2021 | Intraoperative imaging of ovarian cancer lesions in adults |
| US | 2022 | Intraoperative identification of lung lesions |
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Query for this drug: (TITLE:"Pafolacianine" OR ABSTRACT:"Pafolacianine" OR TITLE:"Cytalux" OR ABSTRACT:"Cytalux") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Pafolacianine, not a curated reading list.
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