Light therapy offers 'non-invasive' breast cancer treatment

London, June 30 (ANI): A British doctor is pioneering a groundbreaking treatment for breast cancer which uses light to target and kill tumours without the need for surgery.

Cancer surgeon Mo Keshtgar is adapting a form of light therapy for skin cancer to be used in breast cancer.

The treatment is known as photodynamic therapy (PDT). It uses tumour killing drugs which are injected into the body, latch onto the tumour and then are activated from outside using a laser, reports The Telegraph.

Its plus point is that it does not involve surgery and leaves healthy cells around the tumour unaffected.

Trials will be conducted at London's Royal Free Hospital.

Keshtgar, who unveiled the technique at this year's Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, said: "The key appeal of photodynamic therapy is that it attacks and destroys cancer cells while retaining the viability of the surrounding normal cells.

"Breast cancer can be particularly traumatic, with more invasive treatments leaving physical and emotional scars. Our treatment will keep the structure of the connective tissue intact meaning the breast does not become deformed or lose shape." (ANI)