A non-surgical treatment for skin cancer, using laser light and a photosensitive drug, is being tested.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising new approach to cancer treatment. It involves giving the patient a drug which is photosensitive, and then applying a laser beam a few days later. Working together, the drug and the laser destroy cancer cells.

Researchers at Roswell Park Cancer Institute have been developing PDT for some time. Now they are testing a photosensitive drug, aminolevulinic acid (ALA), which is applied as a topical cream. This should have fewer side effects than photosensitive drugs which are ingested or injected - these can leave the patient extremely sensitive to light for many days.

The ALA treatment is being trialled now for a range of skin cancers, and also for actinic keratosis, a pre-cancerous condition. The aim is to determine the optimum dose of ALA, and the best interval between ALA administration and the application of the laser beam.