How dye that makes invisible prostate tumors glow could soon be used by surgeons to remove more of the cancerous growth in real time

Surgeons may soon be able to remove prostate cancer more effectively thanks to a dye that makes tumors glow.

Experts from the University of Oxford said the dye acts as a ‘second pair of eyes’, lighting up cancerous tissue that is invisible to the naked eye.

This allows doctors to remove much more of the cancer in real time, reducing the chance of the disease returning due to cells left behind.

Cancer Research UK, which funded the scientists, said full clinical trials are underway to find out whether surgery using the dye removes more prostate cancer and preserves more healthy tissue than existing surgical techniques.

Professor of surgery Freddie Hamdy (pictured) said the technique ‘allows us to preserve as much of the healthy structures around the prostate as possible’

In an initial study, 23 men with prostate cancer were injected with the marker dye before undergoing surgery to remove their prostate.

When light — white and near-infrared — shone on the prostate and nearby areas, the fluorescent dye illuminated the cancer cells and where they had spread to other tissues, such as the pelvis.

Professor of Surgery Freddie Hamdy, from the University of Oxford and lead author of the study, said: ‘It is the first time we have managed to see such fine details of prostate cancer in real time during surgery.’

He said the technique “allows us to preserve as much of the healthy structures around the prostate as possible, reducing unnecessary life-changing side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.”

The technique works by combining the dye with a molecule that attaches to a substance known as an antigen, which is found on the surface of prostate cancer cells. It is hoped that the dye can also be used for other types of cancer.

The Daily Mail has fought for years to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men, through its Endless Prostate Deaths campaign.