How is PDT used?
PDT has been used in people with cancer to help them live longer and improve their quality of life. Although PDT works and causes no long-term problems, it is not widely used to treat cancer today. Still, it is offered in some treatment centers, and is being studied in many clinical trials. It is becoming more widely recognized as a valuable treatment option for localized cancers (cancers that have not spread far from where they started). PDT is also used to treat pre-cancers of the skin, and is being tested against pre-cancers in the mouth, larynx (voice box) and other places. Three photosensitizing agents are currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat certain cancers or pre-cancers. Each drug is reviewed in the next section.
