PDT can be used in people with certain types of cancer to help them live longer and improve their quality of life. Although PDT works and causes few long-term problems, it’s not widely used to treat cancer today. Still, it is offered in some treatment centers, and is being studied in many clinical trials. It’s 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 and other places.