Mesothelioma: Photodynamic Therapy

This treatment uses light to kill cancerous cells.

Initially, the patient receives a photosensitizer which collects in cancerous cells but not in healthy cells. (A photosensitizer is a drug which makes cells vulnerable (sensitive) to light of specific wavelengths.) After the cells have been sensitized, fiberoptic cables are placed in the body (usually through open-chest surgery) in order to focus light of just the right frequency on the tumor. This causes the photosensitizer to produce a toxic oxygen molecule which kills the cell.

Although this treatment is still in a very experimental stage for the treatment of mesothelioma, it has shown promising results in the treatment of other cancers.