Colorectal cancer (CRC) can be prevented by colonoscopy using white light to detect polyps that are then removed. However, small and flat polyps are difficult to detect using this technique. Burggraaf et al. have tested fluorescence-guided colonoscopy using the agent GE-137, a cyclic peptide that binds the extracellular receptor MET, which is overexpressed in early stages of CRC. Intravenous administration of GE-137 conjugated to a fluorescent dye enabled visualization of all neoplastic polyps that were visible, as well as additional polyps that were not visible, with white light in patients with CRC.
References
Burggraaf, J. et al. Detection of colorectal polyps in humans using an intravenously administered fluorescent peptide targeted against c-Met. Nat. Med. 21, 955–961 (2015)
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Villanueva, M. Polyps in technicolour. Nat Rev Cancer 15, 514 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc4007
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc4007
