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Fri, 7 Feb 2003 17:18:23 -0500 (EST)

THE MOSS REPORTS Newsletter (02/07/03)

 

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Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D. Weekly CancerDecisions.com

Newsletter #72 02/07/03

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Making a Good Method Even Better

 

 

 

The results seen with photodynamic therapy (PDT) can be

incredibly fast, faster than with any other cancer

treatment (except, of course, surgical removal). Tumors

have been known to shrink within hours after PDT. How

can that happen?

 

 

Several new reports suggest possible mechanisms. They

also point the way towards possible improvements and

extensions of conventional PDT. One of these reports

comes from Aichi Medical University in Japan, where

scientists examined PDT-induced changes in

pre-malignant skin tumors called actinic keratoses.

These lesions, which are usually caused by excessive

exposure to sunlight, have proven to be very sensitive

to PDT.

 

 

In this study, published in the January issue of the

British Journal of Dermatology, researchers took biopsy

specimens from 15 patients with actinic keratoses who

had received a topical photosensitizing agent followed

by exposure to laser light. Just one hour after the

patients received treatment, scientists began to

observe profound changes in these cells. In the lower

layer of the epidermis (the superficial layer of skin),

there were vacuoles (tiny cavities) in the tumor cells.

In the upper layer of the dermis (the deeper skin

tissue), there was an infiltration by the cells of the

immune system (mostly lymphocytes and neutrophils),

which were clearly there to aid the anticancer battle.

 

 

According to these scientists, PDT triggered a process

called apoptosis ( " apo-TO-sis " ) in the abnormal cells.

Apoptosis (derived from a Greek word for the falling of

autumn leaves) is sometimes called " programmed cell

death, " as it refers to a predictable series of events

in which diseased cells are induced to commit suicide

and are then carted away by the immune system. Standard

methods for detecting apoptosis showed that the process

was taking place in the epidermis in eight out of 11

specimens tested just one day after photodynamic

therapy.

 

 

Three days post-treatment, the scientists said,

necrosis, or cell death, " was present in all layers of

the epidermis and lymphocyte infiltration was present

in the dermis. " After seven days, the tumor cells had

disappeared and there was " regenerative thickening of

the epidermis. " In other words, the healing process had

begun.

 

 

The authors concluded that " …apoptosis is involved in

tumor cell death after photodynamic therapy in patients

with actinic keratoses, and that it occurs within one

day after photodynamic therapy. "

 

 

 

PDT and Hyperthermia

 

 

 

Another study, published last year in the journal

Lasers in Surgery and Medicine, suggests a simple way

to increase the effectiveness of PDT: combining this

powerful form of light therapy with heat, or

hyperthermia.

 

 

Using a mouse tumor model, Belgian researchers measured

the response of tumors to PDT alone, hyperthermia

alone, or the combination of PDT and hyperthermia. They

found that an enhanced tumor response was obtained by

using PDT immediately followed by hyperthermia.

 

 

In this animal model, the major way that PDT killed

cancer was through " indirect vascular effects, " i.e.,

by choking off the tumor's blood supply. By contrast,

hyperthermia seemed to exert its toxic effects directly

on tumor cells. When the two treatments with their

distinctly different modes of action were combined, the

effects on tumor cells were even more profound.

 

 

" Combining PDT with hyperthermia brought about a

synergistic interaction on direct tumor cell killing, "

wrote the Belgian authors. Once cells had been damaged

by the deadly duo, " tumor cells were triggered to

undergo apoptosis, " as indicated by the cleavage of

these cells' genetic material. The authors concluded,

" Our study demonstrated the possibility of using

hyperthermia to potentiate the antitumoral effect " of

PDT.

 

 

Outside of complementary and alternative medicine

(CAM), therapies such as these are rarely explored.

However, a few tentative steps have been taken in

recent years. In Israel, for instance, a non-laser

light source was utilized for topical PDT treatment for

skin cancer in part because of its hyperthermic

effects. There was a complete response in 88.9 percent

of patients, and a recurrence in just 7.4 percent, with

no significant side effects from the treatment.

 

 

As these studies suggest, conventional medicine has

only scratched the surface of what is possible using

either photodynamic therapy or hyperthermia. The

studies discussed here show that not only are PDT and

hyperthermia excellent treatments in their own right,

but their combined use could yield even better results.

 

 

 

A Point of Clarification

 

 

 

Cytoluminescent Therapy (CLT) is no longer available at

East Clinic in Killaloe, Ireland. As of January, 2003,

the two organizations separated and now operate out of

entirely different facilities. In actuality, they were

always legally two distinct organizations. The CLT

organization is headed by William Porter, MD, and

Maggie Porter. East Clinic is operated by Drs. Paschal

and Frieda Carmody. The separation between the two

groups is now complete.

 

 

The goal of the CLT organization is to spread the use

and understanding of this new form of photodynamic

therapy (PDT) worldwide, in an ethical and responsible

manner. In line with this strategy, the treatment will

soon be offered at a CLT-authorized private hospital in

Germany. Hospitals and clinics in other countries are

being trained in the use of CLT as well. To find out

about enrolling in this program, readers should visit

the new website, http://www.clinicsofexcellence.com

 

 

To reiterate, CLT is no longer available in Ireland.

Anyone purporting to give it in Ireland is misrepresenting

the situation. Nor is it yet available in North America.

 

 

The technology of giving CLT, while relatively

non-toxic in trained hands, could be dangerous if used

by untrained or unscrupulous individuals. Not all

photosensitizing agents are as innocuous as PhotoFlora,

the patented agent used in CLT. Some other commercially

available photosensitizers are highly toxic. PhotoFlora

is a derivative of the blue-green algae, Spirulina

platensis. The Spirulina products found on health food

store shelves cannot serve as a powerful

photosensitizer. A sophisticated manufacturing process

is necessary to achieve those properties that make

PhotoFlora an excellent " second generation "

photosensitizer. By agreement with the manufacturer,

PhotoFlora is exclusively available in the West through

the CLT organization.

 

 

 

 

--Ralph W. Moss, PhD

 

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References

 

 

Nakaseko H et al. Histological changes and involvement of

apoptosis after photodynamic therapy for actinic keratoses.

Br J Dermatol 2003;148(1):122-7.

 

 

Chen B et al. Enhancing the antitumoral effect of

hypericin-mediated photodynamic therapy by hyperthermia.

Lasers Surg Med 2002;31(3):158-63.

 

 

Haddad R et al. Photodynamic therapy of nasal basal cell

carcinoma. Harefuah 2001;140(1):25-7, 86.

 

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IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER

 

 

The news and other items in this newsletter are

intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in

this newsletter is intended to be a substitute for

professional medical advice.

 

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