Cures For Breast Cancer - New Light Treatment

The fight against breast cancer has been a major concern for many years. While there are no known cures for this deadly disease, there have been several advances in its treatment that have shown promise. One such treatment that has gained attention is photodynamic therapy (PDT), a new approach that uses light instead of surgery or radiation therapy.

Known as light therapy for breast cancer, the PDT treatment uses a combination of laser light, photosensitizing drugs, and oxygen-absorbing agents to target and kill cancerous cells in the mammary gland. The drugs are injected into the breast lump, where they react with light from the laser to create reactive free radicals. These free radicals then interact with nearby cancer cells, destroying them before they can spread further.

Although PDT is still a relatively new treatment modality, it has garnered considerable attention both from doctors and patients. As a noninvasive option, light therapy offers a more comfortable alternative to surgery or chemo, especially for patients who may not want to undergo such invasive procedures as mastectomy or even lymph node removal. In addition, since PDT increases the oxygen availability to malignant cells, it can potentially improve overall survival rates for patients with late stage breast cancers.

Still, PDT represents a significant advancement in the field of breast cancer treatment but its viability still remains uncertain. Its long-term efficacy, potential side effects, and economic viability are all areas that need further study and improvement. If light therapy can be safely integrated with current therapies and show statistically equivalent results as those from traditional approaches, it could become the new standard of care for women with otherwise incurable breast cancer.