How Photodynamic Therapy is Changing the Game for Mesothelioma Patients
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How Photodynamic Therapy is Changing the Game for Mesothelioma Patients

ByHolly Zink

When it comes to treating a tough cancer like malignant pleural mesothelioma, doctors use many different methods. One important way is surgery to remove the big parts of the disease. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have been studying how another treatment called photodynamic therapy (PDT) can help during surgery. PDT is a special light treatment has shown potential in animal studies. Surgery and PDT can work together to help mesothelioma patients. Combining Surgery and PDT for Optimal Treatment Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma occurs on the membrane around the lungs. It is the most common type of mesothelioma. Around 2,500 Americans receive a mesothelioma diagnosis each year. There is no cure. Surgery plays…

Photodynamic Therapy and Immunotherapy: A Powerful Mesothelioma Combo?
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Photodynamic Therapy and Immunotherapy: A Powerful Mesothelioma Combo?

ByAlex Strauss

Swiss doctors have used a combination of photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy to dramatically shrink mesothelioma tumors in mice.  More than a third of mice treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and low-dose light therapy experienced complete regression of their cancer.  The new study explores how photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy can work together. The answers could have important implications for tens of thousands of people suffering from asbestos cancer.  Two Different Approaches to Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma occurs on the membrane around the lungs. It is the most common type of mesothelioma. Around 2,500 Americans receive a mesothelioma diagnosis each year. There is no cure. Photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy both show…

Photoimmunotherapy for Mesothelioma Reduces Tumor Volume in Mice
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Photoimmunotherapy for Mesothelioma Reduces Tumor Volume in Mice

ByAlex Strauss

Japanese researchers testing photoimmunotherapy for mesothelioma say they used the technology to successfully reduce the size of tumors in mice. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute in the US developed near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT). It is a new type of cancer immunotherapy that uses a chemical to make some cells more sensitive to light. When light is directed at these cells, they die. In their new study of photoimmunotherapy for mesothelioma, the Japanese team targeted podoplanin. Podoplanin is a glycoprotein. Many mesothelioma tumors overexpress podoplanin.  Targeting Mesothelioma Tumors with Light Malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing membrane cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Standard cancer therapies do not work well for mesothelioma. Cancer researchers around the world are looking for alternative treatments.  Immunotherapy…

Light-Based Therapy Extends Mesothelioma Survival
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Light-Based Therapy Extends Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

The newest research on photodynamic therapy appears to confirm what multiple recent studies have found – that PDT is a safe and effective way to prolong survival in pleural mesothelioma patients after surgery. A new meta-analysis of 16 studies on PDT for mesothelioma finds that the technique efficiently kills mesothelioma cells left behind after lung-sparing pleurectomy. For each of the studies, the French research team analyzed the specific PDT technique used, the level of toxicity, and the effect on survival in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. “After two decades of clinical studies, intrapleural photodynamic therapy after surgical resection became a safe treatment that significantly improved the survival of patients,” reports lead researcher Camille Munck of Inserm in Loos, France. Mesothelioma…