BALTIMORE -- The American Cancer Society says there will be about 30,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed this year. Nearly one-third will be cancers of the throat. Surgery is standard treatment. Now, a special light can kill the cancer.

Two years ago, Allison Jaccard was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx. Although this type of cancer is usually thought to be in people who have smoked for years, Jaccard was never a smoker or a drinker.

She had surgery, but it didn't get all the cancer. Then Jaccard was offered an alternative treatment at the University of Maryland using laser light therapy.

"It is extremely exciting, I will tell you, for several reasons, not the least of which it's working," said Dr. Paul Castellanos, a head and neck surgeon at University of Maryland.

Castellanos uses a light-sensitive drug activated by a laser to destroy cancer cells. Through this device, the laser is directed to the cancer cells, killing them while healthy cells survive. The laser activates the drug to produce a toxic form of oxygen that kills the cancer.

"It's allowing us to take care of cancers of the throat and oral cavity without having to do ablations of those tissues that can have a devastating effect on the patient's voice," Castellanos said.

In a University of Maryland study of people with early stage cancers of the mouth, throat and larynx, after one treatment, nearly 90 percent showed no evidence of the disease.

It worked for Jaccard. She's been cancer-free since getting the treatment.

"The thing that it's done for me is to make you realize just how precious everything you have is," she said. "So, it just gives you a perspective of what's important."

Castellanos said the main side effect of the treatment is an extreme sensitivity to sunlight. Patients are required to stay completely out of the sun for up to six weeks. The light-sensitive drug reacts to red light from the sun, so sunblock will not work.

If you would like more information, please contact:

Patricia Clisham, PA-C
University of Maryland Center for Voice, Swallowing and Esophageal Disorders
22 S. Greene St.
North Hospital, 8th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
(410) 328-2877

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