Pilot and Feasibility Study of the Imaging Potential of EC17: Intraoperative Folate-fluorescein Conjugate (EC17) Lung Cancer (CA)

The goal of this study is to perform imaging of patient's tumors while the chest is open and the tumor is being removed.

According to the World Health Organization, lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and women, and is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually as of 2004. Surgery remains the best option for patients presenting with operable Stage I or II cancers, however the five year survival rate for these candidates remains at a dismal 53% for Stage I and 32% for Stage II. The high rates of recurrence suggest that surgeons are unable to completely detect and remove primary tumor nodules in a satisfactory manner as well as lingering metastases in sentinel lymph nodes. By ensuring a negative margin through imaging during surgery it would be possible for us to improve the rates of recurrence free patients and thus overall survival.

Thoracic malignancies are the ideal disease to investigate intra-operative imaging. Over 85% of lung and pleural malignancies express folate receptor alpha (FRA). It is important to note that FRA is expressed only in the proximal tubules of the kidneys, activated macrophages, and in the choroidal plexus. Thus, the false positive detection rate is expected to be extremely low. A group well known to us in the Netherlands has completed a pilot study utilizing a folate-fluorescein isothiocyanate (folate-FITC) conjugate in 12 patients with ovarian cancer. Another group of investigators in Mayo have subsequently performed this study on 20 more patients without any serious adverse events (personal communication). They report excellent sensitivity and specificity with this technique with only grade 1 side effects (allergic reaction). All side effects reversed when the injection was halted. Patients with a history of allergic reactions to insect bites should not participate (fluorescein is derived from the firefly insect, folate is an essential vitamin).