Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant recently made public his support of a British cancer charity, Killing Cancer. The primary focus of the charity is to raise money to fund further trials for photodynamic therapy, a procedure that shows great promise in the treatment of mesothelioma and other cancers.
During photodynamic therapy, a light-activated drug is injected into a vein, spreading throughout the body and eventually collecting in cancer cells. After several days (typically after mesothelioma surgery), a fixed frequency light is inserted into the cancer site through a fiber optic device allowing the light to be manipulated by the doctor.
The cancer cells die when exposed to the light which activates the drug that has been absorbed. The light exposure must be timed appropriately so that the normal cells have had time to discard the drug, while the cancerous cells are still holding on to it.
Plant says he is a big fan of the treatment which he states is helping friends fight their cancer.
The major side effect of PDT is skin sensitivity, as well as nausea, vomiting, and sometimes a metallic taste in the mouth. Clinical trials are underway in the United States to evaluate PDT for cancers of the brain, skin, prostate, cervix, and peritoneal cavity.
While PDT is still undergoing testing, it has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and relief of esophageal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The FDA approved agent is called porfirmer sodium, or Photofrin.
Tags: mesothelioma, mesothelioma research, mesothelioma treatment
