Background:The effects of laser therapy on normal cells are well known and accepted, but the impact of this therapy on malignant cells are not yet fully understood. This review aims to map and outline what the scientific literature addresses on the effects of laser therapy on malignant cells.Methods: This review article followed the guidelines of the PRISMA-ScR protocol, being all the search, analysis, and selection of articles based on it.Results: After all application of the predetermined criteria, five studies were included, dated between the years 2013 and 2021. With the complete reading of the selected studies, 100% of the articles were classified as category III of the Agency for Healthcare as Research and Quality classification. Similar themes among the papers included were investigated and compared. In these five studies, the visible red and near infrared wavelengths were used, and energy densities varied between 1 and 5 J/cm 2 . It was observed that low-level laser could alter the expression of cell proliferation and migration proteins, such as cyclin D1, E-cadherin, and β-catenin. In addition, changes related to increased cell viability and metabolism were also identified.
Conclusion:The low-level laser seems to positively regulate the proliferative, migratory, and viability capacity of neoplastic cells, depending on the protocol used. All these studies included in the review are equivalent to in vitro studies; the cells are not in such a complex environment as is an organized tissue, making it necessary to carry out more complex tests, such as in vivo research.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.