The best way to cure most cases of cancer is to surgically remove the tumor. However, identifying and removing the entire tumor during surgery is often challenging — surgeons have traditionally relied on visual cues and touch to determine tumor margins, which can lead to incomplete removal and local recurrence.

Now, pioneering research led by Dr. Sunil Singhal, director of the Center for Precision Surgery at Penn Medicine, is changing that. His team has developed an FDA-approved injectable diagnostic dye that makes tumors glow under infrared light, helping surgeons see and remove cancer more precisely. Join us as we talk to Dr. Singhal about this groundbreaking “glowing tumor” technology, how it’s improving outcomes in lung and ovarian cancer surgeries, and its potential in other cancer treatments.