Laser-activated drug offers new hope for prostate cancer treatment

Laser-activated drug offers new hope for prostate cancer treatment
A new laser-based treatment for prostate cancer has shown promise as a new therapy, without the need for surgery.
In a new study, published Tuesday in the Lancet Oncology, scientists at UCL in the UK injected cancer patients with a light-sensitive chemical that, on entry into the prostate, could be activated by lasers to kill cancerous cells, while avoiding the surrounding healthy cells and tissue.

Prostate cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer worldwide, and the second most common cancer among men. It's estimated that there were more than 180,000 new cases of prostate cancer in the US in 2016, with more than 26,000 deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

Current care for prostate cancer patients often involves monitoring them closely until their cancer has become more severe, at which point their prostate is either removed or completely irradiated, bringing with it the risk of long-term side-effects, including erectile problems or incontinence.

But this new treatment, known as vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VPDT), offers hope to go in earlier. Nearly half of the patients receiving it went into complete remission, as opposed to just 13% in the control group after two years of follow-up.

Journal article:
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanonc/article/PIIS1470-2045(16)30661-1/fulltext?rss=yes

Story via CNN
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/20/health/prostate-cancer-laser-drug-treatment/index.html

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