# Combination optical imaging to guide transoral laser microsurgery in larynx cancer

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · 2024 · $374,880

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Nearly 13,000 new cases of laryngeal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. annually. Transoral laser microsurgery
(TLM) has become the primary surgical approach for early-stage endolaryngeal tumors as TLM provides tumor
control while allowing maximal salvage of normal tissue to preserve post-treatment laryngeal function (i.e. voice
and swallow). However, no reliable intraoperative approaches are approved to aid the surgeon's subjective visual
assessment of tumor borders during TLM, leading to post-TLM recurrence of disease in a substantial proportion
of patients. Panitumumab-IRDye800 has been used in multiple clinical trials for near-infrared fluorescence
(NIRF) imaging during surgery of various malignancies. Current fluorescence guided surgery (FGS) clinical trials
using panitumumab-IRDye800 require intraoperative pathological confirmation of cancer before further surgical
actions can be made beyond the standard of care. Marginal biopsies during TLM are limited in volume and
number, which confounds pathological assessment and intraoperative attempts to identify clinically occult
invasive margins. The lack of FGS clinical studies during TLM in patients with laryngeal cancer has been a barrier
in determining if current metrics to guide FGS would be applicable during TLM procedures. Addressing this
clinical barrier is a critical step in determining the benefit of intraoperative NIRF to positively impact both TLM
surgery and outcomes in patients with laryngeal cancer. We propose a clinical study to demonstrate feasibility
for a novel combination of intraoperative optical imaging approaches to detect occult tumor margins in patients
with laryngeal cancer. Objective 1 will establish metrics of intraoperative optical imaging that define pathology-
confirmed occult laryngeal cancer margins. This objective will be accomplished by correlating intraoperative
imaging during total laryngectomy procedures with post-resection tissue analyses including histopathology as
the gold standard for true positive and true negative occult disease. Objective 2 will test the accuracy of
intraoperative optical imaging metrics to identify occult laryngeal cancer margins during TLM. This objective will
be accomplished using imaging metrics to identify positive optical signals beyond the region of treatment planned
in patients who undergo TLM. Outcomes from these studies will be used to design a randomized phase 2 trial to
test the combined imaging approach to guide TLM in patients with laryngeal cancer. The long-term outcomes of
these studies are anticipated to positively impact intraoperative identification of occult malignancy while
minimizing loss of critical laryngeal function.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10946893
- **Project number:** 1R21CA292196-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM
- **Principal Investigator:** Bharat Panuganti
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $374,880
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10946893

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10946893, Combination optical imaging to guide transoral laser microsurgery in larynx cancer (1R21CA292196-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10946893. Licensed CC0.

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