Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining of the lungs within a person who has been exposed to asbestos. Among other treatment options, some patients choose to have parts of their pleura surgically removed to ease symptoms and attempt to prolong their lives. Recently, it was found that photodynamic therapy efficiently kills mesothelioma cells left behind in the body after surgery.
“After two decades of clinical studies, intrapleural photodynamic therapy after surgical resection became a safe treatment that significantly improved the survival of patients,” said the lead researcher on the French research team. Photodynamic therapy is a light-based therapy that involves the injection of a photosensitizing drug and subsequent exposure of light to the lungs. It is said to cause fewer side effects than chemotherapy or radiation, and increase the survival rate to more than three years.
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