Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is also called photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy. It involves using a drug called a photosensitizing agent, which is activated by being exposed to light, to destroy cancer cells.

Depending on the part of the body being treated, the drug is either injected into the bloodstream or applied to the skin. After the drug is absorbed by the cancer cells (usually a couple of days), a light source is applied to the area to be treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen, which forms a chemical that kills the cancer cells. PDT may also work by destroying the blood vessels that feed the cancer cells and by helping the immune system to attack the cancer.

Studies have shown that PDT can be as effective as surgery or radiation therapy in treating certain kinds of cancers and precancerous conditions, and may have some advantages:

• It is less invasive than surgery

• It can be targeted very precisely

• Unlike radiation, it can be repeated several times at the same site if necessary

• It may result in less scarring

However, PDT has its limits. It can only treat areas where light can reach, so it is mainly used to treat areas on or just under the skin, or in the lining of internal organs. While the drugs may travel throughout the body, the treatment only works at the area exposed to light, so PDT can’t be used to treat extensive cancers. The current drugs available also leave people very sensitive to light for a time, requiring special precautions.

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