A non-surgical treatment for skin cancer, using laser light and a photosensitive drug, is being tested.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising new approach to cancer treatment. It involves giving the patient a drug which is photosensitive, and then applying a laser beam a few days later. Working together, the drug and the laser destroy cancer cells.

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute have been developing PDT for some time. Now they are testing a photosensitive drug, aminolevulinic acid (ALA), which is applied as a topical cream. This should have fewer side effects than photosensitive drugs which are ingested or injected - these can leave the patient extremely sensitive to light for many days.

The ALA treatment is being trialled now for a range of skin cancers, and also for actinic keratosis, a pre-cancerous condition. The aim is to determine the optimum dose of ALA, and the best interval between ALA administration and the application of the laser beam.

Source

Roswell Park Cancer Institute 1st August 2002