‘Pink drink’ assists surgeons to target cells

A special“pink drink” that enables surgeons to precisely target brain tumours could benefit 2,000 patients a year.

The drink, known as 5- A LA, uses fluorescent dye and ultraviolet light to make cancerous cells glow under UV light.

This enables surgeons to more precisely target brain tumour tissue during surgery to remove it, and helps to spare healthy brain cells.

Research suggests that the whole tumour can be successfully removed in 70.5 p er cent of cases where 5-ALA is used, up from around 30 per cent without it.

Emma Greenwood, Cancer Research UK’S director of policy, said: “Brain tumours remain a huge challenge, with survival barely improving over the last 30 years, and making 5-ALA available across the NHS is one of Dame Tessa Jowell’s many legacies.”