Premium
Future directions of laser phototherapy for diagnosis and treatment of malignancies: Fantasy, fallacy, or reality?
Author(s) -
Castro Dan J.,
Ward Paul H.,
Castro Donna J.,
Saxton Romaine E.,
Lufkin Robert B.,
Kangarloo Hooshang,
Haugland Richard P.,
Zwarun Andrew A.,
Fetterman Harold R.,
Soudant Jacques
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
the laryngoscope
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.181
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1531-4995
pISSN - 0023-852X
DOI - 10.1288/00005537-199107000-00026
Subject(s) - laser , fallacy , medicine , laser treatment , laser therapy , nanotechnology , intensive care medicine , materials science , optics , philosophy , physics , epistemology
A new and highly promising adjunctive modality for the diagnosis and therapy of malignancies is under development using lasers and tumor targeting dyes. To reach the eventual goal of clinical treatment, several current “fantasies and fallacies” regarding laser applications in medicine must be identified and their problems clearly outlined. A multidisciplinary scientific approach is also required to enable the clinical practicality of this laser targeting approach. Many new dyes and laser wavelengths are being tested to improve specific tumor uptake and/or retention, lower systemic toxicity, increase tissue penetration, and identify fluorochromes with synergistic properties to further enhance laser tumoricidal effects. Rapid technological advancements in magnetic resonance imaging may now provide an extremely sensitive way to detect and monitor laser‐tissue effects, and allow efficient interstitial laser phototherapy of deep and sometimes inaccessible tumors. The current and future prospectives of the emerging field of laser phototherapy are described.