New centre at CSMMU to treat cancer in a new way

The center will be established in the phase II of the Centenary Hospital,which is under construction in CSMMU. The state government has granted Rs 1.5 crore to the Department of Radiotherapy,CSMMU,for the project.

The center which will be established in collaboration with Roswell Park Cancer Institute,New York — one of the premier institutes using the photo dynamic therapy; the Central Drug Research Institute and the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research,Lucknow.

“Photodynamic therapy is comparatively a new method of treatment of cancer,” said Dr MC Pant,Head of Department of Radiotherapy,CSMMU.

Apart from skin and oral cancer,it is important in the treatment of esophageal cancer and urinary bladder cancer as well as keloids and acnes.

“We had a meeting with Dr Keshav Singh of Roswell Park Cancer Institute today to discuss the collaboration,” Pant said. “The next step will be the signing of the MoU between the two institutes.

“The cost of the therapy is around Rs 50,000 per dose because the photo sensitizer is not yet available in India and we are importing it from Norway,” said Dr Pant.

The hospital is planning to buy two sets of equipment costing around Rs 30 to 40 lakh each and will convert some of the wards into dark rooms for the patients.

The facility will start within the next six months and if the Centenary hospital is not completed by the time the instruments are procured,“we can start the facility in the department of radiotherapy itself,” he added.

How photo dynamic therapy works
The basic premise of Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) is selective tissue destruction. This is done by using a photosensitising drug (a drug that becomes activated by light exposure) and a light source to activate it. The result is an activated oxygen molecule that can destroy the nearby cells.

The process usually has three steps: First,a light-sensitising liquid,cream,or intravenous drug (photosensitizer) is applied or administered; second,there is an incubation period — which can be anything between some minutes or some days; finally,the target tissue is exposed to a specific wavelength of light,which activates the photosensitizing medication by which the cells are destroyed.

Although the photosensitizer may be absorbed all over by many cells,atypical or cancerous cells take up more of the drug and retain it for a longer period than normal tissues.

Being least toxic to the cells,the therapy can be used a number of times in case of tumour recurrence without much side effect.

The process is currently used in a number of medical fields including oncology (cancer),dermatology (skin),and cosmetic surgery.At present,the primary limitation of the technique is the depth of penetration of the light.

Therefore,it works best when the tumors or atypical growths are close to the surface of the skin or treatment surface.