Cancer Treatment
Photodynamic Therapy
Photodynamic therapy (also called PDT, photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy) is a promising new FDA-approved treatment for some cancer types. Photodynamic therapy is presently being used for esophageal cancer, and early stage lung cancer (excluding mesothelioma), where it has been shown to be more than 90 percent effective. Photodynamic therapy is also being utilized as an investigational therapy for obstructive lung cancer, Barrett's esophagus, head and neck cancer, and skin cancer. Skin cancers (basal cell and squamous cell), may also be effectively treated with PDT.
PDT is a two-step procedure that is done on an outpatient basis. You will be injected with a light-activated drug (Photofrin), which targets cancerous cells. Approximately 24-48 hours later, a laser light is directed through a scope onto tumor cells, exposing the cancerous tissue to a certain spectrum of light. The light "switches on" the drug, destroying the cancerous cells without damaging your surrounding healthy tissue.
An advantage of PDT is that it causes minimal damage to healthy tissue. However, because the laser light currently in use cannot pass through more than about 3 centimeters of tissue (a little more than one and an eighth inch), PDT is mainly used to treat tumors on or just under the skin or on the lining of internal organs.
Photodynamic therapy makes the skin and eyes sensitive to light for 6 weeks or more after treatment. Patients are advised to avoid direct sunlight and bright indoor light for at least 6 weeks. If patients must go outdoors, they need to wear protective clothing, including sunglasses. Patients should talk with their doctor about what to do if the skin becomes blistered, red, or swollen. Other temporary side effects of PDT are related to the treatment of specific areas and can include coughing, trouble swallowing, abdominal pain, and painful breathing or shortness of breath.
