Photodynamic therapy of cancer-associated infections
Giulia Kassab1, Juan Chen1, Gang Zheng1,2
1Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Pathogens can be involved in tumor initiation, promotion, and progression through different mechanisms, and their treatment can prevent new cancer cases, improve outcomes, and revert poor-prognostic phenotypes. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) successfully treats different types of cancers and infections and, therefore, has a unique potential to address their combination. However, we believe this potential has been underutilized, and few researchers have investigated the impacts of PDT of both infection-related and cancer-related outcomes at once. This review presents the main agents behind cancer-associated infections (CAIs), the PDT protocols that have been tested on them, and their key findings. Additionally, we discuss the key aspects of PDT that make it ideal for CAI treatment, and what knowledge gaps need to be filled in order to make it successful.
Insights
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a promising approach to treat infections linked to cancer. This review explores PDT
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Infectious Diseases
- Photochemistry
Background:
- Pathogens play a significant role in cancer development and progression.
- Treating cancer-associated infections (CAIs) can improve patient outcomes and prevent new cancer cases.
- Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an established treatment for both cancer and infections.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current applications of PDT for cancer-associated infections.
- To highlight the potential of PDT in addressing combined cancer and infection challenges.
- To identify knowledge gaps for optimizing PDT in CAI treatment.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of existing literature on PDT for CAIs.
- Analysis of PDT protocols and their efficacy against specific pathogens and cancers.
- Discussion of PDT's mechanisms relevant to treating CAIs.
Main Results:
- Identified key pathogens involved in CAIs.
- Summarized successful PDT protocols and their findings in treating CAIs.
- Highlighted the underutilization of PDT for combined cancer and infection treatment.
Conclusions:
- PDT demonstrates significant potential for treating cancer-associated infections.
- Further research is needed to fully leverage PDT for combined oncological and infectious disease outcomes.
- Addressing knowledge gaps will enhance PDT's success in managing CAIs.
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