Applications of laser technology in breast cancer therapy

Abstract

Breast cancer is an increasingly common problem affecting one in nine women. The optimal management of carcinoma of the breast remains controversial. This paper reviews the rationale for the use of laser technology in the treatment of primary and advanced breast cancer. The CO2 laser has several properties which make it advantageous for breast surgery. The technical details for optimal laser utilization are presented. Experimental evidence documents a marked reduction of local tumor recurrence following surgery with lasers. Preliminary human studies suggest that laser use lengthens the disease-free interval and may decrease local recurrence. Interstitial laser therapy holds promise for use in the treatment of locally advanced breast tumors and has been suggested by some as a potential modality for the primary therapy of breast cancer. The clinical use of lasers in the treatment of breast cancer is justified.

Protective effect of autophagy in laser‐induced glioma cell death in vitro

“…Laser irradiation is known for its ability to cause cell death, a feature that has been used over past decades for therapeutical killing of tumor cells [1][2][3][4][5][6]. However, the value of laser-based anticancer therapy is limited due to many side-effects and insufficient efficacy [7], the main limitation being the failure to achieve complete tumor destruction, particularly at the margins of larger tumors [8,9].…”

Development of stereotactically guided laser interstitial thermotherapy of breast cancer: In situ measurement and analysis of the temperature field in ex vivo and in vivo adipose tissue

“…Relatively few experimental studies have been conducted on LITT for breast cancer [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32], and several of these have been primarily directed toward the modeling of expected temperature gradients in homogeneous and isotropic tissues. Recently, we have proposed and described a technique for LITT of breast cancer wherein the fiberoptic laser delivery probe is inserted to the treatment site under the guidance of a stereotactic digital mammographic x-ray system.…”

MR-guided laser-induced thermotherapy with a cooled power laser system: a case report of a patient with a recurrent carcinoid metastasis in the breast

“…Previous reports of MRIguided LITT of the breast with conventional laser systems [10,11,12] have already shown that MR imaging reliably demonstrates the position of the needle and the application system, and that MR thermometry precisely shows the energy uptake and change of temperature within the metastasis and surrounding normal glandular tissue. Previous reports of MRIguided LITT of the breast with conventional laser systems [10,11,12] have already shown that MR imaging reliably demonstrates the position of the needle and the application system, and that MR thermometry precisely shows the energy uptake and change of temperature within the metastasis and surrounding normal glandular tissue.…”