Making Light Work on Cancer

A type of treatment for cancer known as photodynamic therapy (PDT) has had a lot of media attention recently. PDT uses laser light combined with a light-sensitising drug (sometimes called a photosensitising agent) to destroy cancer cells. This treatment is only used for cancers where the cells are close to a body surface such as the skin, the lining of the mouth, the inner lining of the gullet, or the air passages leading to the lungs.