The University of California San Francisco describes the use of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) fluorescence to aid in visualizing tumor cells and differentiating them from other brain tissue during the surgical treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme.5-Aminolevulinic Acid (5-ALA) makes brain tumor cells glow hot pink when illuminated with a special blue light incorporated into an operating microscope during surgery. The light helps to identify and remove tumor cells in a process called Fluorescent Guided Resection (FGR).
Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) is the most common and also the deadliest of brain cancers around. This form of cancer is very aggressive and a patient diagnosed with GBM has one to two years to live.
The cancerous tumor, called a glioma, starts in the brain or the spine. These gliomas are graded I to IV depending on how advanced the disease is. A Grade I GBM is the least advanced and offers the best prognosis. A Grade IV GBM is considered the most advanced and the hardest to treat.
Gliomas are groups of tumors that arise from the glia. Glias are non-neuronal cells that maintain homeostasis. They form myelin (a protective layer of cells), and provide support and protection for neurons in the brain within the central nervous system (CNS).
