New treatment for esophageal cancer involves laser light

A novel treatment is now available in some places for treatment of esophageal carcinoma. The treatment, called Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), involves treating the cancer cells with photosensitive drugs and then applying red laser light to destroy the target cells. The therapy is highly effective for treating Barrett's esophagus which usually develops in GERD patients. Traditionally, surgical esophagectomy was the only treatment available and it required a 3-4 week hospital stay. The new therapy is much quicker and cheaper and less invasive. Surgery has a complication rate of 29% and costs more than $88,000 compared to PDT which is about $35,000. Side effects of PDT include nausea, mild constipation, chest discomfort and a constricted feeling in throat. A major side effect of the treatment is extreme light sensitivity which means that treated patients must virtually totally avoid direct and indirect sunlight for a minimum of six weeks. The treatment is not suitable for people who have had previous high-dose radiotherapy treatment, have poor pulmonary function, have multifocal or multilobar disease as well as certain other conditions. 10-15% of GERD sufferers eventually develop Barrett's esophagus of which only 1-2% develop into esophageal cancer. 13,000 new cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed annually and it causes 12,500 deaths annually.

Source: summary of medical news story as reported by Kansas City Nursing News

Related Disease Topics:

• Esophageal cancer
• Esophageal carcinoma
• Barrett's esophagus
• GERD
• Gastroesphageal reflux disease
• Nausea
• Mild constipation (see Constipation)
• Chest discomfort
• Constricted feeling in throat
• Light sensitivity
• Multiloar disease
• Multifocal disease

Article Source Details

About: New treatment for esophageal cancer involves laser light

Date: 3 January 2005

Source: Kansas City Nursing News

Author: Lisa Waterman Gray

URL: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13671092&BRD=1441&PAG=461&dept_id=155395&rfi=6

Related Medical Topics

This summary article refers to the following medical categories:

• Statistics
• Cancer
• Death from esophageal cancer
• Death from esophageal carcinoma
• Cause of esophageal cancer
• Cause of esophageal carcinoma
• Cause of Barrett's esophagus
• Cause of GERD
• Cause of nausea
• Cause of mild constipation
• Cause of chest discomfort
• Cause of constricted feeling in throat
• Cause of light sensitivity
• Surgery
• Surgery and esophageal cancer
• Surgery and esophageal carcinoma
• Side effect
• Side effect and nausea
• Side effect and mild constipation
• Side effect and chest discomfort
• Side effect and constricted feeling in throat
• Side effect and light sensitivity
• Risk and GERD
• Risk and gastroesophageal reflux disease
• Diagnosis
• Diagnosis and esophageal cancer
• Diagnosis and esophageal carcinoma
• Diagnosis and Barrett's esophagus

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