Spirit Healthcare || Photodynamic Therapy

What is photodynamic therapy?

Photodynamic therapy is a type of treatment that uses the combination of light and special drugs called ‘photosensitising agents’.
The drugs are not active until after they have been ‘turned on’ by the light. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen, forming a chemical that can kill cells that have absorbed the drug.
Different drugs are activated by light of different wavelengths.

A gel or cream containing the photosensitising agent is applied to the skin lesion. It is absorbed into the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) and into the abnormal cells.
The area of skin is then irradiated with the light source, activating the drug, which, in turn, kills the abnormal cells.
As the drug is only absorbed by the abnormal cells, it does not kill normal cells. This means it is well tolerated.
Photodynamic therapy has no long-term side effects when used properly and it is less invasive than surgery.
Other benefits include the short time that it takes (it is usually done as an outpatient), it can be repeated at the same site and there is little or no scarring as the site heals.

Macmillan Cancer Support. Photodynamic Therapy for Skin Cancer (Click here)

American Cancer Society. Skin Cancer: Basal and Squamous (Click here)

Molecular Mechanisms of Basal Cell and Squamous Cell Carcinomas. Reichrath J (ed). Springer Science+Business Media, Inc. 2006.