Modern medicine is constantly evolving. A vivid example of this is photodynamic therapy. This method of treatment has been developed quite a long time, but has been actively applied only in the last few years. Due to its effectiveness, photodynamic therapy has found application in many branches of medicine.
What are the main differences and advantages of laser photodynamic therapy?
The basis of photodynamic therapy is photosensitizers. These are special medicines that are highly sensitive to light. Due to the influence on them with the help of laser waves of a certain length, the required result is achieved.
Simply put, the drug-photosensitizer is injected into the body. All modern means are non-toxic and can accumulate very quickly in affected tissues. After that, the apparatus for photodynamic therapy is used. It is a source of laser radiation, which allows controlling the length and intensity of waves. During the contact with the laser, the photosensitizer is excited, a photochemical reaction begins, as a result of which free radicals are formed. The latter have a disastrous effect on the cells of the neoplasms, and they gradually resolve. On the spot of the tumor after the procedure, a healthy connective tissue is formed.
Photodynamic therapy is shown for such problems:
- melanoma ;
- skin cancer (squamous, basal cell, metatypic);
- tumors resistant to alternative therapies;
- Inoperable neoplasms (often located in hard-to-reach places).
Sometimes photodynamic therapy becomes the only way to treat a patient. Of course, this method is not cheap, but the results that it shows are worthy of respect.
Photodynamic therapy in oncology
Initially, this method was developed specifically for the treatment of cancer. You can talk a lot about its advantages.
- This is a non-contact method of treatment, respectively, the probability of entering the infection in the body is minimal.
- For curing, sometimes one procedure is enough.
- Removal of infected tissues passes quickly, bloodlessly, painlessly.
- After the laser operation, there are no scars left.
In oncology, PDT is used to control neoplasms of different sizes and locations. Basaliomas are the most sensitive tumor to laser beams. The dose of photosensitizer and light for each patient is selected individually.