Asbestos exposure can lead to mesothelioma. Discover how photodynamic light therapy (PLT) offers new hope in treating this aggressive cancer.
Did you build your house? Do you know what materials were used? If you answered no, you’re not alone. Most homebuyers assume the materials are health-regulated and safe.
From the 1940s to the 1970s, many houses were built with an inexpensive, fire-resistant material called asbestos. It was added to concrete, pipes, wallboard, floor tiles, adhesives, and roof shingles—often forming part of a home’s structure. This would not be a problem if the material were not potentially life-threatening.
What builders did not know then was that asbestos is highly toxic. During those decades, millions of people were exposed to asbestos fibers, which can lead to asbestosis, a serious chronic lung disease.
Asbestosis develops after inhaling asbestos fibers, and symptoms may not appear for 10 to 40 years. Common signs include shortness of breath, persistent dry cough, weight loss, and a crackling sound in the lungs when inhaling.
Why does this matter today? Millions of U.S. homes still contain asbestos because they were built during the peak years of use. As buyers choose older properties, the risk of exposure persists. A 2018 National Association of Home Builders survey found that only 11 % of home sales were new construction; the rest were existing homes.
Prolonged inflammation from asbestos fibers can also lead to mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the chest or abdominal lining. When the disease is diagnosed at stage II, III, or IV, chemotherapy is often used to shrink tumors, yet the five-year survival rate remains near 12 %.
Although mesothelioma is serious, early detection may slow its progression. Emerging research suggests that photodynamic therapy—a form of red-light treatment—can help destroy tumor cells. In this approach, a light-activated drug is absorbed by cancer cells; when the area is illuminated, the drug produces oxygen radicals that kill the cells. A four-year NIH-funded study is now exploring this strategy for mesothelioma.
Mayo Clinic American Lung Association American Cancer Society
Photodynamic light therapy is already used for some cancers and has shown promise in mesothelioma. A 2004 report noted that patients who received surgery plus photodynamic therapy survived a median of 13–14 months, compared with 10 months for surgery alone.
A 2019 study combined photodynamic therapy with proton radiation and chemotherapy in people with stage 3–4 mesothelioma; median survival was 30.3 months. Mesothelioma remains incurable, but light-based treatment may extend life for some patients.
These findings suggest that light-based approaches can play a supportive role even in hard-to-treat diseases. We continue to work with clinicians to develop products intended to be both effective and safe; contact us for details on our design and manufacturing process.
