He suffered from cancer three times within 8 years and became a triple cancer. Photodynamic therapy allowed him to regain the "light" of life.

What kind of experience is it like to suffer from cancer 3 times? The 57-year-old Dongbei Lin (pseudonym) seems to be a little unlucky.

Three times in 8 years, the cancer became a triple cancer, this time the excision and radiochemotherapy did not work

Mr.

"The patient first suffered from laryngeal cancer, then pharyngeal cancer, and was diagnosed with esophageal cancer at the end of last year.

Successfully solve difficult problems, why is photodynamic therapy effective?

Director Li Libo’s team analyzed the various conditions of the patient and believed that the best treatment method for the patient is photodynamic therapy

Dr.

Gastroscope-guided photodynamic therapy of esophageal cancer

In December 2020, under the guidance of Director Li Libo, Dr.

What is photodynamic therapy?

According to Li Libo, the principle of photodynamic therapy is to use a specific wavelength of laser to excite a photosensitizer that is selectively retained in the tumor tissue.

Li Libo, who is the chairman of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology (CSCO) Cancer Photodynamic Therapy Expert Committee, pointed out that in the next 20-30 years, the treatment of cancer patients will not only cure or prolong the survival time of patients, but also protect the appearance and vital organs.

What are the advantages of photodynamic therapy?

Less trauma.

Low toxicity The photosensitizer that enters the tissues can only trigger a photochemical reaction to kill tumor cells when it reaches a certain concentration and is irradiated by a sufficient amount of laser light.

Good selectivity The main target of photodynamic therapy is the diseased tissue in the illuminated area, and the damage to the normal tissue around the lesion is slight.

Good applicability Photodynamic therapy is effective for cancer tissues of different cell types and has a wide range of applications; while cancer tissues of different cell types have large differences in sensitivity to radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and their application is limited

Repeatable treatment:　Cancer cells are not resistant to photosensitive drugs, and the patient will not increase toxicity due to multiple photodynamic treatments, so the treatment can be repeated

Palliative treatment:　For advanced cancer patients, or cancer patients who cannot receive surgical treatment due to advanced age, heart, lung, liver and kidney dysfunction, photodynamic therapy is a palliative treatment that can effectively relieve pain, improve quality of life, and prolong life

Can cooperate with surgery to improve curative effect.

It can eliminate occult cancer lesions .
Some tumors in clinic, such as transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, may have scattered small cancer lesions invisible to the naked eye outside the main lesion.
Conventional treatment methods can only remove the main lesion and cannot do anything to the occult cancer lesion.
The photodynamic therapy is used to irradiate the surface of the bladder after the entire bladder is filled to eliminate all possible small lesions, thereby greatly reducing the chance of tumor recurrence
.

It can protect the appearance and function of vital organs.
For facial skin cancer, esophageal cancer, oral cancer, penile cancer, cervical cancer, tongue cancer and throat cancer, the application of photodynamic therapy may effectively kill cancer tissues as much as possible.
Reduce the damage to the epithelial structure of the diseased organ and the collagen scaffold, so that the appearance of the wound after healing is less affected, and the appearance of the organ is kept intact and normal physiological functions
.

Indications for photodynamic therapy

Li Libo pointed out that the indications for photodynamic therapy are various solid malignant tumors, vascular tumors and viral and bacterial inflammatory diseases
.
The malignant tumors in the area that the optical fiber can reach include skin tumors, digestive tumors, gynecological tumors, respiratory tumors, urinary tumors, nerve tumors, and various interstitial malignant tumors
.