How does photodynamic therapy work against cancer?
First, you will be given an injection of the photoactive drug PHOTOFRIN (porfimer sodium). PHOTOFRIN will be absorbed by your bodys tissues, including High-Grade Dysplastic and cancer tissue. Over the next couple of days, the drug will largely be eliminated from most healthy tissue. However, it will remain in cancer cells, cells with High-Grade Dysplasia associated with Barretts esophagus, and certain other organs. Approximately 40 to 50 hours after the PHOTOFRIN injection, light from a laser will be directed at the cancer cells or area of High-Grade Dysplasia. The application of light takes approximately 5 to 40 minutes depending on the amount of tumor or High-Grade Dysplasia your doctor wants to treat. For many patients the entire procedure takes under one hour. The light will activate the drug present within those cells and destroy them. Because PHOTOFRIN is retained to a greater degree by cells with High-Grade Dysplasia and cancer cells than by healthy cells, most of the healthy ti
