Photodynamic therapy, also known as PDT, is a new and hope inspiring treatment being tested for use in treating mesothelioma. The treatment has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for a variety of different kinds of cancers, and has shown a lot of promise in effectively fighting cancer cells with far fewer side effects than chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Ongoing research and tests hope to make the therapy an option for those suffering from mesothelioma as soon as possible.
Mesothelioma is a highly aggressive, fatal cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos fibers. Asbestos is a natural mineral found in the earth that is processed into a variety of asbestos products including fabrics, boards, gaskets, and others. During the height of asbestos’s use in the United States, it was a normal part of piping, protective fireproof clothing and blankets, cement used in homes and commercial buildings, insulation used in a variety of applications, and much, much more. Asbestos is a powerful, lightweight fire retardant, has incredible insulating properties, and is very cheap to fabricate into a variety of useful materials.
Asbestos fibers, however, are very dangerous. The microscopic, needle like hairs cannot be stopped by our bodies’ normal defenses for arresting and expelling non-organic foreign particles. The fibers enter the body by being inhaled or ingested, then pass through the lungs, stomach or intestines and become ensnared in the mesothelium, a protective lining that encases our bodies’ vital organs. In the mesothelium, the fibers cause scarring which in a matter of decades can turn into malignant, life threatening tumors. Mesothelioma’s prognosis is shocking, often giving its victims only two years to live once diagnosed.
Photodynamic therapy could offer victims of mesothelioma a better chance to combat the cancer. The therapy works through administering a non-toxic substance causing intense photo-sensitivity in the targeted cancer cells, then directing visible light at the cancerous growth during operations or invasive surgery. The targeted cells are destroyed by the light while the normal, healthy cells remain in good condition. If approved for mesothelioma treatment, this could mean post-op therapy options that are far less exhausting and physically draining than chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
With more than 3,000 Americans diagnosed with mesothelioma every year, researchers hope that new, potentially more effective treatments like photodynamic therapy and others could help to improve quality of life for victims and possibly even give them more time.
