Hexaminolevulinate, sold under the brand name Cysview among others, is an imaging agent that lights up under blue light during a blue light

cystoscopy Cystoscopy is endoscopy of the urinary bladder via the urethra. It is carried out with a cystoscope. The urethra is the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body. The cystoscope has lenses like a telescope or microscop ...

. It is used to help detect non-muscle invasive

bladder cancer Bladder cancer is the abnormal growth of cells in the bladder. These cells can grow to form a tumor, which eventually spreads, damaging the bladder and other organs. Most people with bladder cancer are diagnosed after noticing blood in thei ...

(NMIBC), in particular papillary tumors and

carcinoma in situ Carcinoma ''in situ'' (CIS) is a group of abnormal cells. While they are a form of neoplasm, there is disagreement over whether CIS should be classified as cancer. This controversy also depends on the exact CIS in question (e.g., cervical, skin, b ...

(CIS). It made by Photocure ASA, a Norwegian pharmaceutical company. Hexaminolevulinate is a structural analogue to

5-aminolevulinic acid δ-Aminolevulinic acid (also dALA, δ-ALA, 5ALA or 5-aminolevulinic acid), an endogenous non-proteinogenic amino acid, is the first compound in the porphyrin synthesis pathway, the pathway that leads to heme in mammals, as well as chlorophyll ...

(a precursor to the porphyrin ring of heme), and is internalized and processed into the photoactive

protoporphyrin IX Protoporphyrin IX is an organic compound, classified as a porphyrin, that plays an important role in living organisms as a precursor to other critical compounds like heme (hemoglobin) and chlorophyll. It is a deeply colored solid that is not sol ...

at a high rate by tumor cells. After exposure to 360-450 nm light, the porphyrin will fluoresce red.

References

Oncology Optical imaging {{Pharma-stub