Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the newer cancer treatments available today. Lung cancer is sometimes useless, especially when they lie in the bronchi or trachea. Similarly, cancers that have spread from other parts of the body to the bronchial tubes are not removed surgically. In such cases, photodynamic therapy offers a safe and effective treatment option.
In a best-case scenario, PDT as a curative therapy that canEliminate the cancer completely. In many patients, cancer PDT used as palliative treatment of lung cancer that meant for the Liberation of symptoms, although not a cure.
Photodynamic therapy can effectively relieve symptoms such as shortness of breath due to obstacles in the bronchi or trachea. In some patients, tumors block the airways and can cause coughing, difficulty breathing, lung inflammation and bleeding. PDT can be used depending on the situation in such cases,Size and stage of tumor.
PDT destroys cancer cells using a laser. To ensure that only cancer cells are destroyed, special drug is an application to the cancer cells more sensitive to this treatment while leaving normal cells intact.
There are three steps involved in the process of lung cancer treatment with PDT. In the first stage of a drug called Photofrin is injected intravenously. This drug has the property that body cells are very sensitive to light. Normal,Photofrin to eliminate healthy cells, but cancer cells are not able to do this and the drug is maintained in such cells.
In the second stage of PDT, some forty to fifty hours is given by injection, a flexible tube is inserted into the trachea. This tube contains a red laser with low intensity. The cancer cells exposed to this laser will be destroyed.
In the third and final phase, about two days after the laser light is exposed to a bronchoscopy performed to get rid of the dead cancer cellsand mucus from the bronchi or trachea.
A patient may be in the photodynamic therapy only if his cancer is in a location that has a bronchoscope is situated. In addition, the tumor may be so large that the bronchoscope can be easily recognized. This means that some types of cancer, as they are not removed out of the bronchi treated with PDT.
Lung cancer treatment with PDT has almost no dangerous side effects, unlike other methods of treatment.Light sensitivity is about the only side effect that lasts for a while. Since Photofrin makes cells sensitive to light, the treatment of the patient may experience increased sensitivity to light for a period of four minutes after eight weeks ago.
During this time, can lead normal sunlight severe sunburn. For this reason, the patients underwent PDT discouraged out in the sun for about eight weeks after her lung cancer treatment. UnlikePhotodynamic therapy, major surgery performed to remove lung cancer usually presents greater risks.
Many tumors that are inoperable because of their location are prime candidates for treatment with PDT. When used as a type of lung cancer palliative treatment offers almost immediate relief.
all these advantages, the number of affected patients have been given with photodynamic therapy as a cancer treatment of choice.
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