Photodynamic Therapy gains momentum in the war against cancer

For some forms of cancer, Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) may soon take its place with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, as the treatment of first choice. PDT, which is virtually painless and free of adverse side effects, has been in use experimentally since the late 1970s. It was approved in Canada earlier this year for treatment of bladder cancer, and Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) biophysicist Leonard Grossweiner expects PDT will soon receive FDA approval for use in the United States. Grossweiner, who directs the PDT program at Chicago's Ravenswood Hospital, and his team have conducted clinical trials using PDT to successfully treat cancers in the head and neck for 10 years. The therapy combines the use of laser light and a light-activated drug that concentrates in cancerous tissue to destroy tumors.

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12/13/93