FA dye Causing Cancer? https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082393 Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:47:46 GMT Wed, 25 Mar 2015 17:43:16 GMT Copyright © 2015 Ophthalmic Photographers' Society FA dye Causing Cancer? https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082393 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082393 Hello-

 

I just heard today that FA dye if infiltrated into the tissues can cause cancer. I have heard of the adverse reaction of necrosis, but cancer is new to me.

Can anyone confirm this?

 

Thanks,

Addie

]]> Thu, 12 Mar 2015 20:55:29 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082609 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082609
It's been a few years since I've done a literature search on adverse reactions to fluorescein. I don't recall seeing any studies that link exravasation of fluorescein to cancer, and I've never heard of a correlation. I don't know if there's anything new in the literature. Have you done a recent search?]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2015 15:02:09 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082627 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1082627 Alan]]> Fri, 13 Mar 2015 15:32:38 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1083033 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1083033
No I haven't been successful finding much information except for here in the OPS articles. I will keep looking, I was just surprised if this is a fact, we should be informing our patients. I would think this would also be stated on the insert of FA.

Thanks Alan that is what I am thinking too.

Addie]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2015 01:16:59 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1083035 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1083035
I guess no studies have been performed according to the label. ]]> Sun, 15 Mar 2015 01:33:01 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1084932 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1084932
Gary]]> Fri, 20 Mar 2015 17:02:10 GMT https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1086571 https://www.opsweb.org/forums/posts.aspx?topic=1086571
I agree with Tim and Gary - this sounds like new (and possibly questionable) information, and a concept that is being stretched out pretty thin.

The chemical name for fluorescein is resorcinolphthalein. The core chemicals are resorcinol, which was tested in rats and mice by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a group of the World Health Organization, and no carcinogenic positivity was found; and naphthalene, tested by the same group,was listed as "possibly carcinogenic". In the case of naphthalene, it is found in moth balls, cigarette smoke and pesticides predominantly, and I think presents a greater risk in combination with the ingredients of either of those entities, than in an angiographic dye. And in all those cases, the exposure is usually inhalation.

I have been a retinal angiographer for almost 40 years and in that time I have seen vasculitis at extravasation sites in folks with impaired vascular flow that resulted in some small loss of tissue, but I have never seen, or been told of one of our patients having an actual case of skin necrosis. Loss of tissue density can come from pressure and volume at the site, but is not necessarily because of necrosis. I have loss of tissue on my arm as the result of multiple depo-steroid shots.

As Gary suggests, you should go back to the source and ask for more information.

Please share with us what you learn!

p]]> Wed, 25 Mar 2015 18:43:16 GMT