Laser Therapy for Cancer Treatment

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Laser Therapy for Cancer Treatment
University of Nebraska Medical Center

The term LASER stands for "Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation." Laser light is concentrated so that it makes a very powerful and precise tool. Laser therapy uses light to treat cancer cells. Consider the following additional information regarding laser therapy:

Lasers can cut a very tiny area, less than the width of the finest thread, to remove very small cancers without damaging surrounding tissue.
Lasers are used to apply heat to tumors in order to shrink them.
Lasers are sometimes used with drugs that are activated by laser light to kill cancer cells.
Lasers can bend and go through tubes to access hard to reach places.
Lasers are used in microscopes to enable physicians to view the site being treated.
Laser uses during cancer surgery

Laser surgery is a type of surgery that uses special light beams instead of instruments, such as scalpels, to perform surgical procedures. There are several different types of lasers, each with characteristics that perform specific functions during surgery. Laser light can be delivered either continuously or intermittently and can be used with fiber optics to treat areas of the body that are often difficult to access. The following are some of the different types of laser used at UNMC for cancer treatment:






Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers
Carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers can remove a very thin layer of tissue from the surface of the skin without removing deeper layers. The CO2 laser may be used to remove skin cancers and some precancerous cells.
Neodymium: yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd: YAG) lasers
Neodymium: yttrium-aluminium-garnet (Nd: YAG) lasers can penetrate deeper into tissue and can cause blood to clot quickly. The laser light can be carried through optical fibres to reach less accessible internal parts of the body. For example, the Nd: YAG laser can be used to treat throat cancer.

Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT)
Laser-induced interstitial thermotherapy (LITT) uses lasers to heat certain areas of the body. The lasers are directed to areas between organs (interstitial areas) that are near a tumor. The heat from the laser increases the temperature of the tumor, thereby shrinking, damaging, or destroying the cancer cells.

Argon lasers
Argon lasers pass only through superficial layers of tissue such as skin. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) uses argon laser light to activate chemicals in the cancer cells.

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