OUTLINE:~Beginning 1 hour before surgery, patients receive tozuleristide intravenously (IV) over 1-5 minutes. Patients then surgical resection per standard of care and undergo Canvas near infrared (NIR) imaging.
This phase I/II trial studies the side effects of tozuleristide in imaging oral cavity squamous cell cancer and high-grade oral cavity dysplasia during surgery. Tozuleristide is an imaging agent that specifically binds to tumor cells. When exposed to near-infrared light, tozuleristide causes tumor cells to fluoresce (light up), so that surgeons may better distinguish tumor cells from healthy cells during surgery.