PubMed Benign Tumors & Hyperplasia

SPDT and PDT both have shown very positive benefits to 'Benign Tumors and Hyperplasias.  

Benign Prostate Hypertrophy

One of the more dramatic effects is the observed virtual elimination of symptoms of 'enlarged Prostate".  This condition is virtually universal in older men with the usual symptoms of getting up at night to urinate, frequency, intermittancy, hesitancy etc.  Following SPDT a near complete resolution of this condition has been noted by patients having treatment for associated problems; the elimination of the symptoms was merely a 'side' benefit.  The likely outcome is this procedure may well be a replacement for the present standard treatment which is 'trans urethral resection' or TURP.  Not unusual surgical complications include: impotence, incontinence, infections, pain, hematuria, huge costs etc.  A painless, effective, low-cost alternative, if available, would be the overwhelming choice for most men.

The study below show the metrics of PDT's effectiveness against hypertrophic cells from a patient with 'benign prostatic hypertrophy'.

1  Mechanisms of growth inhibition of primary prostate epithelial cells following gamma irradiation or photodynamic therapy include senescence, necrosis, and autophagy, but not apoptosis

Pubmed Link

Abstract
In comparison to more differentiated cells, prostate cancer stem-like cells are radioresistant, which could explain radio-recurrent prostate cancer. Improvement of radiotherapeutic efficacy may therefore require combination therapy. We have investigated the consequences of treating primary prostate epithelial cells with gamma irradiation and photodynamic therapy (PDT), both of which act through production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Primary prostate epithelial cells were cultured from patient samples of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer prior to treatment with PDT or gamma irradiation......... PDT reduced the viability of all types of cells in thBoth PDT and gamma irradiation reduced the colony-forming ability of primary prostate epithelial cells.e cultures, including stem-like cells and more differentiated cells. PDT induced necrosis and autophagy, whereas gamma irradiation induced senescence, but neither treatment induced apoptosis. PDT and gamma irradiation therefore inhibit cell growth by different mechanisms. We suggest these treatments would be suitable for use in combination as sequential treatments against prostate cancer.

Keywords: Cancer stem-like cells; photodynamic therapy; prostate cancer; radiotherapy.

2 Benign Fibromas and NeuroFibromas

Doxycycline Potentiates Antitumor Effect of 5-aminolevulinic Acid-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy in Malignant Peripheral Nerve Sheath Tumor Cells

PubMed Link

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is one of the most common neurocutaneous disorders. Some NF1 patients develop benign large plexiform neurofibroma(s) at birth, which can then transform into a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST). There is no curative treatment for this rapidly progressive and easily metastatic neurofibrosarcoma. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been developed as an anti-cancer treatment, and 5-aminolevulinic (ALA) mediated PDT (ALA-PDT) has been used to treat cutaneous skin and oral neoplasms. Doxycycline, a tetracycline derivative, can substantially reduce the tumor burden in human and animal models, in addition to its antimicrobial effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect and to investigate the mechanism of action of combined doxycycline and ALA-PDT treatment of MPNST cells.

The combined treatment inhibited tumor growth in different tumor cell lines, but not in normal human Schwann cells or fibroblasts.

Link back to Benign tumor therapy page