Robotic Surgery: Firefly™ Technology

Firefly™ technology is a new tool used during robotic surgery. Firefly uses a dye that highlights the difference between cancerous tissue and healthy tissue, thus enhancing the surgeon's ability to avoid removing healthy tissue and capturing all of the cancerous tissue more precisely.

Firefly Technology at St. Anthony’s

A surgery using Firefly has the advantages of a robotic procedure, with even greater accuracy including:

• A precise surgery
• Greater ability to examine the operating area
• Real-time view of the blood supply
• Ability to remove the tumor without harming the organ
• Lower risk of leaving cancer cells behind, leading to long-term cancer control

Firefly Technology: What to Expect

Here is a general idea of what you can expect:

• The dye is injected. It provides a detailed image of the blood supply to the tumor.
• A second injection highlights the difference between cancerous and normal tissue
• Your surgeon operates
• We inject the dye again to make sure the blood supply is properly connected
• Your surgeon checks that your organ is working properly before finishing the procedure

Firefly Technology in Cancer Surgery

Firefly technology is especially effective during surgery to treat:

• Kidney cancer
• Colon cancer
• Uterine cancer

In the past, the entire organ was removed. However, with Firefly technology, surgeons can often remove just the tumor. This is because with Firefly:

• Surgeons can see the difference between cancerous and healthy tissues
• The dye highlights the body’s blood flow. We make sure that blood is flowing properly before closing the incisions.

If you would like to learn more about robotic surgery at St. Anthony's Hospital, please call (727) 253-4215.