A new invention is shining a light on cancer and helping surgeons find microscopic lesions. 

The special light allows surgeons like New Jersey's Dr. Matthew Puc to find cancer they wouldn't normally be able to see. It's allowing them to treat small early-stage cancer and also potentially stop it from coming back.

Amy Demurjiam is feeling hopeful about a brighter future thanks to a special kind of green illumination that's saving lives. And she's breathing a lot easier after surgery for early-stage lung cancer performed with assistance from an imaging agent called Cytalux.

"It is a molecule that will specifically attach to lung cancer cells," said Puc, who is chief of thoracic surgery at Virtua Health. 

Cytalux is especially helpful for early-stage lung cancer, Puc said. With Cytaluz, the cancer is "clearly defined," he said. 

"If I can see the lesion, especially these smaller peripheral lesions, then I can do kind of a limited resection," Puc said. "I can take now, you know, 5 to 10% of someone's lung function instead of 25%." 

Healthy tissue is spared with Cytalux, which is administered intravenously before surgery. 

"This is, you know, first in class in terms of how this drug works," Puc said. 

And he said it's especially important for patients like Demurjiam, who was shocked to learn that what she thought was a cough from allergies was actually early-stage lung cancer. 

"It was brutal," Demurjiam said. "It was really, really scary."

She had the surgery in March, and she feels lucky this new technology was available.

"I'm thankful that they have it," she said. 

Cytalux is currently approved to treat lung and ovarian cancer, but it's also being tested for use with other kinds of cancer.