Therapy could treat many tumors CNN's Al Hinman reports. Doctors believe photodynamic therapy could also offer new hope in treating many other tumors. For example, Allegheny General doctors are trying it out in the treatment of lung cancer, the biggest cancer killer in the United States. Before this therapy became available, patients whose lung cancer was diagnosed early enough to operate faced the loss of part or all of a lung, as doctors cut out the cancer and nearby tissue. The effects of such surgery, combined with radiation and chemotherapy, can be harrowing for those who survive.
Photodynamic therapy offers a chance for cancer patients to improve their quality of life.
Dan Mariotti's lung cancer was at an advanced stage, and doctors told him the new treatment might do little more than ease his suffering. After a year and a half of treatments, Mariotti died of complications caused by his advanced illness. But his doctor says the light therapy did improve his quality of life, right up to the end. For others, doctors hope, photodynamic therapy can offer much more, especially for cancers caught and treated early. Inc. All Rights Reserved.