Photodynamic therapy is a treatment that combines a light-activated chemical called a photosensitizer with a specific wavelength of light and the oxygen already present in tissue to trigger a reaction that kills the targeted cells. It is used to treat some skin conditions, including acne and psoriasis, the eye disease wet age-related macular degeneration, and a range of malignant cancers such as those of the head and neck, lung, bladder and skin. Because it avoids the delicate surgery and long recuperation that removing affected tissue would otherwise require and leaves comparatively little scarring, photodynamic therapy is valued as a less invasive option, though the photosensitizing chemical it depends on can leave skin temporarily sensitive to light after treatment.
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1. Wikipedia
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundationhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodynamic_therapy, lead sectionQuote, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photodynamic_therapy, lead section
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a form of phototherapy involving light and a photosensitizing chemical substance used in conjunction with molecular oxygen to elicit cell death (phototoxicity).
2. Photodynamic Therapy (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationHistory section, Dougherty eraQuote, History section, Dougherty era
Dougherty successfully treated cancer with PDT in preclinical models in 1975.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does photodynamic therapy have side effects?
Yes, skin can be temporarily sensitive to light after treatment.
It is valued as a less invasive option that avoids delicate surgery and long recuperation and leaves comparatively little scarring. However, the photosensitizing chemical it depends on can leave skin temporarily sensitive to light after treatment.
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