Mesothelioma Study Exhibits Safe Treatment with Multimodality Approach

Photodynamic therapy is an advanced treatment method in which generally light energy are used to largely destroy cancer cells while commonly leaving all the healthy cells largely much unaffected for a greater good cause. Initially during the general process of photodynamic therapy treatment, a patient is normally given the drugs known as photosensitizers, which largely make cells sensitive to light. Then the treated cells get exposed to light of a specific wavelength and this generally causes them to largely produce a particular form of oxygen which is toxic and kills nearby cancer cells.

The recent research studies conducted by University of Pennsylvania researchers indicated that, Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in perfectly conjunction with general surgery (extra pleural pneumonectomy) and the given intraoperative photodynamic therapy was evaluated as a treatment option for malignant pleural mesothelioma. Titled “Extrapleural Pneumonectomy, Photodynamic Therapy and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma,” the study treated 11 patients from the year 2004 to 2007. Seven out of these nearly 11 mesothelioma cancer patients had perfectly undergone the said photodynamic therapy during the course of a previous surgery.

A perfect future analysis is much needed to demonstrate the high efficacy of this given treatment as per the study researchers. This multimodality approach may in future strengthen the real quality of life in the patient because of all the efforts in order to reduce the lung toxicity and highly improve the dose delivery. According to the researchers in the research study, the multimodality therapywhich combines surgery with newer treatment modalities such as photodynamic therapy appears safe and increased doses of radiation using IMRT. Throughout the study, it is to be noted that only one patient was there who had largely experienced a kind of respiratory failure.

source: asbestosismesothelioma.org