title: 5-Aminolaevulinic Acid (ALA) for the Fluorescence Detection of Bronchial Tumors.
abstract: At the moment only early detection of lung cancer offers a good prognosis for the patients. Conventional white light endoscopy is mostly insufficient for early diagnosis. Therefore we developed a system of fluorescence diagnosis using 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) exogeneously applied. As precursor of the heme synthesis it is metabolized to protoporphyrin IX - a red fluorescent substance. Therefore protoporphyrin IX accumulates in tumorous and premalignant tissue, and can be directly visualized by fluorescence bronchoscopy. Excitation with blue light (380-435 nm) causes a red fluorescence, which can be detected after filtering most of the blue component with the naked eye or a camera system. After earlier work with laser systems and cold light sources we now use the system D-Light AF for the fluorescence diagnosis using ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX fluorescence.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pneumology Department of Medicine Klinikum Innenstadt, University of Munich Ziemssenstraße 1 München D-80336 Germany.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gamarra
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hautmann
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Häußinger
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baumgartner