Penn thoracic surgeon Joseph Friedberg, MD, recently led research published in the Annals of Thoracic Surgery that found photodynamic light therapy, or PDT, improved median survival rates of patients with mesothelioma to more than 31 months, compared to a median survival rate of 8 months with lung-sparing surgery.
This Sunday, the Philadelphia Inquirer featured a story about Dr. Friedberg and the team of clinicians and researchers at Penn Medicine who are using PDT to treat patients with pleural mesothelioma.
Photodynamic therapy, also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy, or photochemotherapy is used to treat certain types of cancer.
It is based on the discovery that certain chemicals known as photosensitizing agents can kill organisms when they are exposed to a particular type of light. PDT destroys cancer cells through the use of a fixed-frequency laser light (an intense narrow beam of light) in combination with a photosensitizing agent
From the Inquirer:
"...for more than two decades, Penn scientists have been doggedly pursuing innovations. They are combining conventional treatments with gene therapy, T-cell therapy, and the laser technology, called photodynamic therapy. Patients come thousands of miles to Penn after exploring their options - or lack thereof."
Read the full article about how Penn is changing the way lung disease is treated.
Would you like to learn more about treatments for mesothelioma and pleural diseases?
The Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program offers a true multidisciplinary approach, presenting patients with essentially all treatment options offered worldwide and a number of treatments offered only at Penn such as PDT.For more information about the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program, call 215-662-9697.
A dedicated patient navigator will assist you with specific questions about mesothelioma and pleural diseases, and can help you schedule an appointment with a Penn specialist.
Helpful links:
- Learn more about the Penn mesothelioma program.
- Learn more about mesothelioma.
- Learn more about treatments for mesothelioma at Penn.
- Find a mesothelioma specialist at Penn.
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