Destroying Mesothelioma with Photodynamic Therapy

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 Focus On Mesothelioma Conference.  In this blog, she recaps highlights from the conference. You can view all the presentations from the conference here.

When treating patients with mesothelioma or pleural disease, Penn Medicine lung specialists offer more treatment options than most other health systems across the country and around the world.

One of those treatment options is photodynamic therapy (PDT).

Mesothelioma Treatment with Photodynamic Therapy

Penn was the first health system in the Philadelphia area to begin researching the use of PDT to treat cancer. Also known as photoradiation therapy, phototherapy or photochemotherapy, PDT brings together light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.

Mesothelioma is by definition a disease that is multifocal, meaning it occurs in several places in the lining of the lung simultaneously. This has traditionally made surgery as a treatment for mesothelioma difficult and ineffective.

PDT is used during surgery to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. It works by bringing together a light-sensitive medication with low-level beams of light to destroy cancer cells.  The medication is injected into the bloodstream and absorbed by the cancer cells. A light source is then applied to the area being treated. The light causes the drug to react with oxygen to form a chemical that kills the cancer cells. Photodynamic therapy can also work by destroying the blood vessels that feed the tumor.

PDT can only work in areas that the light can actually reach. It is effective in treating mesothelioma because it is a cancer that affects the lining of the lung. During the surgery, the light is applied to the pleural space, or area surrounding the lungs. Penn researchers continue working on ways to improve PDT’s effectiveness.

Associate Professor of Surgery, Joseph Friedberg, MD, talks about the possibilities researchers are exploring today, such as combining photodynamic therapy with gene therapy or with tumor vaccines to stimulate the immune system to fight cancer. He also speaks of using substances called rare earth phosphors to create tiny nano crystals that can absorb radioactivity and make it possible to deliver targeted radiation therapy and photodynamic therapy at the same time. 

These are the areas of PDT research today at Penn, and in all likelihood, the innovations of tomorrow that will make mesothelioma easier to treat.

The outlook for mesothelioma patients is improving both in terms of quality and quantity of life, but those improvements depend on being treated at a center that has the expertise and experience to develop the individual treatment plans that are essential to obtaining the best outcomes.
 
Learn more about mesothelioma treatment at the Abramson Cancer Center.

Watch all the presentations from the 2011 Focus On Mesothelioma Conference.


Penn's Abramson Cancer Center is a national cancer center in Philadelphia providing comprehensive cancer treatment, clinical trials for cancer and is a cancer research center. The National Cancer Institute has designated the Abramson Cancer Center a Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of only 40 such cancer centers in the United States.

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Promising New Radiation and Medical Oncology Treatments for Lung Cancer

Christine Wilson, cancer survivor, shares her experiences from the Abramson Cancer Center’s 2011 Focus On Lung Cancer Conference. You can view all the presentations from the conference here. In this blog, she discusses new lung cancer treatments available at Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

Corey Langer, MD, has been a contributor to the advances that have occurred in treating lung cancer for the last 20 years. He notes that in 1990, a patient diagnosed with advanced lung cancer had few treatment options. And the drugs that were available were highly toxic and generally ineffective.

Today, that picture has improved significantly.

Patients with lung cancer today have the potential for living longer, often years, and enjoying a good quality of life. These improvements are the result of research that has led to a new understanding of the biology of lung cancer, as well as treatment programs that are multidisciplinary and personalized in their approaches.


New Radiation Oncology Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients with bronchial tumors that can be removed surgically, photodynamic therapy (PDT) has contributed to improved outcomes.

Photodynamic therapy for lung cancer, (PDT) is a radiation oncology treatment that allows physicians to deliver highly targeted doses of anti-cancer drugs while patients are undergoing surgery. PDT is currently used to treat pleural mesothelioma in addition to some lung cancers.

Penn physicians and researchers are working on ways to improve the delivery of photodynamic therapy as well as how to combine it with gene therapy or other radiation oncology therapies for optimal outcomes.

Proton therapy for lung cancer, the most targeted form of radiation therapy, is also showing promise in treating locally advanced lung cancers. Penn has the largest, most comprehensive proton therapy facility in the United States and is actively engaged in developing protocols for the optimal use of this treatment for lung cancer.


New Chemotherapy Treatments for Lung Cancer
For patients who are not surgical candidates or whose cancers recur, the major improvements in treatment are in the form of more effective, less toxic drugs. The most recent therapies target specific gene mutations found in some lung cancer patients.

In 2001, there were no known genetic mutations associated with lung cancer, but today, more than half of the patients with lung cancer have an identifiable gene mutation. This has opened exciting new pathways for treating these cancers.

The most common genetic mutations in lung cancer are the EGRF and KRAS mutations. Recently the EML4/ALK mutation has been found in 5 to 7 percent of patients. Patients who have these mutations often respond very well to targeted therapies. Avastin, which stops the growth of blood vessels that feed the tumor, has also been shown to be effective in treating adenocarcinomas of the lung.

In the last 20 years the options for patients with lung cancer have expanded from few or none to an array of first, second, third and even fourth line therapies, many of which are based on an increasing understanding of the biology of the disease. Lung cancer remains a difficult disease to treat, but the prospects are improving.

Watch all the presentations from the 2011 Focus on Lung Cancer Conference here.

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