Mesothelioma photodynamic therapy is a treatment method that uses light at specific frequencies to attack and kill cancer cells. This is type of mesothelioma cancer is usually very hard to deal with, but with photodynamic therapy the process becomes a little easier.
Photodynamic therapy requires a small chest surgery and a tube to be inserted. Through that tube, after the cancer cells have been sensitized with the use of a photo sensitizing agent and photosensitizer, fiber optics are inserted that generate light at a certain wavelength, to which the cancer cells respond.
Photodynamic therapy is useful even if metastasis is present, because photodynamic drugs will only attack cancerous cells making them sensitive to light. The mesothelioma cancerous cells can be present in tumors or near the lining of the chest.
Possible side effects of mesothelioma photodynamic
Photodynamic therapy for mesothelioma can cause a number of side effects to certain individuals:
- The drugs administered make the entire body sensitive to sunlight, so it would be wise to avoid sunlight for at least a month
- Metallica taste reported by many patients
- Nausea
Photodynamic therapy has proven to be useful as a mesothelioma treatment, after many clinical trials cancer cells present in the patients’ body have stopped spreading and the tumors shrunk. Unfortunately photodynamic therapy has not passed experimental phase, which is why it isn’t widely spread yet. But if you think you might be interested in such procedures, you can find photodynamic therapy in certain mesothelioma cancer centers.
Drawbacks of mesothelioma photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic mesothelioma therapy has some limitations which include:
- The laser light is not very strong, it only pushes through about three to four centimeters, and that isn’t enough in some cases, and for some larger tumors
- The drugs used for photodynamic therapy affect healthy cells as well, but they usually dissipate in a few hours after insertion
There are no further risks involved in photodynamic therapy, recovery is usually swift and there are no complications during the process. Photodynamic therapy is recommended by doctors to patients that want to try new mesothelioma treatments. It is not fully covered by insurance, most of the surgical procedure is, because it is usually done by thoracotomy, which is a Food and Drug Administration approved surgical procedure for mesothelioma patients.
More mesothelioma and photodynamic therapy
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