Photodynamic Therapy For Cancer: Its Benefits And How Does It Work?

Photodynamic Therapy For Cancer: Its Benefits And How Does It Work? . Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a type of treatment which has become popular for treating certain forms of cancer. It is used in lung, head neck and brain cancer and also in skin cancer. In PDT, a drug is used which is called photosensitizing agent and a light with predetermined wavelength. The drug (photosensitizing agent) is introduced in the body and when it is exposed to a specific wavelength of light, it produces oxygen which is responsible for destroying the malignant cells.

How Does Photodynamic Therapy Work For Cancer?

To begin with the treatment, photosensitizing drug is introduced in the bloodstream through intravenous route.

Posted by http://signs-causes-treatment-prevention.blogspot.com Prevention And Detection Of Diseases At An Early Stage When The First Signs To Get The Most Effective Treatment.

Once it enters the body, each and every body cell absorbs the photosensitizing agent. However, it remains in the malignant cells for more time than in normal cells. On an average, after 72 hours of injection, the drug vanishes from healthy body cells but remains in cancer cells. This means the photosensitizing agent is present only in the malignant tumor. During this period, the cancerous tumor is exposed to a specific wavelength of light. The drug absorbs the light waves and produces active oxygen. It is this oxygen which destroys the cancer cells.

Posted by http://signs-causes-treatment-prevention.blogspot.com Prevention And Detection Of Diseases At An Early Stage When The First Signs To Get The Most Effective Treatment.

Besides killing the cancer cells directly by producing active oxygen, photo sensitizer can reduce or completely eradicate the cancerous tissue in two ways. It acts upon the blood vessels in the tumor. Once the blood vessels are destroyed, the tumor starves for the nutrients and shrinks in size. Secondly, PDT is responsible for uplifting the immune system. Healthy immune system will then attack the tumor cells.

The light that is usually used is laser. Wavelength is decided upon the location of tumor. For reaching inside the cavity, laser light is introduced with the help of fiber optic cable. This cable is introduced at determined site through an endoscope. This procedure is used for treating lungs and esophagus cancer. Other than laser, LED (light emitting diodes) is used on superficial area for example skin cancer.

Some of the photosensitizing agents have been approved by FDA. They are used to relieve symptoms of esophageal cancer and lung cancer. Although photodynamic therapy has been a promising treatment for cancer, there are few limitations of its use.

The light which is required can only pass through 1 cm of the tissue. It is for these reason tumors situated deep inside the body are difficult to treat. Tumors on the skin and lining of the esophagus and other body organs are mainly targeted. PDT is not very effective when the tumor is large in size as the light is not able to pass throughout the tumor.

Benefits Of Photodynamic Therapy For Cancer

What are the benefits of PDT?

• PDT is easy to perform.
• The therapy is usually done on outdoor basis.
• PDF is painless.
• Patient does not require sedation or in some cases least sedation will be necessary.
• Surgery is more risky than PDT.
• Healthy tissue is spared which may not be the case with radiation and chemotherapy.
• Resistance to the treatment does not develop even with multiple treatments.

One of the main side effects with PDT is, certain agents are responsible for photosensitivity of eyes and skin for several weeks after the treatment. As a result patients taking this treatment should not move in sunlight or they should take precautionary measures.

In some cases, scaring, burns and pain in the nearby tissue is not ruled out, even after taking extreme precaution and care. Stomach pain, breathing difficulty, pain in lungs while breathing are few other side effects that are not uncommon.