AIIMS Bhopal’s GPS-like tech to make breast cancer surgery safer
The new dye-based technique promises safer surgery by precisely targeting lymph nodes
AIIMS Bhopal has introduced Indocyanine Green (ICG) dye technology, which highlights diseased nodes before surgery. Surgeons inject a safe green dye near the tumour, then track its path with a special infrared camera. The affected lymph nodes glow, making them easy to spot.
Until now, doctors removed almost all lymph nodes around the breast to prevent cancer from spreading. But that often left women with lymphoedema — painful, lifelong swelling and heaviness in the arm. The new method pinpoints just two or three critical nodes, which are then sent for instant biopsy. If they’re clear, the rest are left untouched.
The entire process takes about 15–20 minutes and works like a GPS system, showing doctors exactly how far the cancer has travelled. “This technique spares patients unnecessary pain and complications while giving us precise information to guide treatment,” said Prof Madhavanand Kar, executive director of AIIMS Bhopal.
For patients, it means faster recovery, fewer side effects and a better quality of life after surgery. Experts say it could be a game changer for breast cancer care in India, where late detection and aggressive surgeries often cause long-term suffering.
