A drug activated by laser light successfully destroys early prostate cancer while avoiding side effects that commonly occur with surgery, trial results have shown.
The new technique, called vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), involves injecting a light-sensitive drug into the bloodstream. The drug is then “switched on” by laser pulses fired through optical fibres inserted into the prostate.
Of 196 men who received the treatment, about half showed no signs of the disease two years later, compared with 13.5% of those given standard care.