Common Questions About Cytalux^®

CYTALUX is an FDA approved prescription medication that is given prior to surgery to adult patients who have ovarian cancer or known or suspected cancer in the lung. It helps surgeons visualize ovarian and lung cancer lesions during surgery.

CYTALUX is made of two primary components: a compound that is similar to folic acid (which is an essential vitamin for the body) and a dye that allows it to light up with a special camera, called a near-infrared imaging system, during surgery.

Preoperative scans and surgical skill are critical tools for a successful surgery. However, ovarian and lung cancer cells are not always visible to the naked eye – they can hide in plain sight. CYTALUX gives your surgeon an additional measure of “sight” that can help them to identify ovarian and lung cancer as they operate.

CYTALUX may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. There are no available human data to evaluate for a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or other adverse maternal or fetal outcomes. Contact your healthcare provider with a known or suspected pregnancy.

Errors may occur with the use of CYTALUX. Sometimes cells may light up even if they are not cancerous or those that are cancerous may not light up. Also, non-cancerous cells from other areas may light up, such as areas of the bowel, kidneys, lymph nodes, lungs, and inflamed tissue.

CYTALUX is administered via an intravenous infusion, which means it will be injected into a vein via an IV line over a period of 60 minutes. For ovarian cancer surgery, this will occur between 1 and 9 hours prior to your surgical procedure. For lung cancer surgery, this will occur 1 to 24 hours prior to surgery.

The most common side effects of CYTALUX reported in clinical trials were nausea (13%), vomiting (5%), abdominal pain (2%), flushing (2%), other infusion-related reactions (2%), allergic reaction (2%), elevation in blood pressure (1%), indigestion (1%), and chest discomfort (1%) during administration.

Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of CYTALUX. For more information, ask your healthcare provider.

Generally, there is no separate cost to the patient for CYTALUX above and beyond the cost of the surgical procedure. Contact your hospital and/or insurance provider for more details.

CYTALUX is not a treatment for cancer. It enhances your surgeon’s ability to see lung and ovarian cancer in real time during your procedure.

As a new technology, CYTALUX is not widely available. Our patient brochure (visit our Ask About Cytalux page) can help you start a discussion about CYTALUX with your doctor.

For a list of medical centers currently using CYTALUX, please contact us.

No, CYTALUX does not have any impact on recovery after surgery and you will follow your care team’s recovery instructions.