Clinical effects of laser immunotherapy on metastatic cancer patients

Clinical trials of late-stage breast cancer patients and late-stage melanoma patients treated by laser immunotherapy (LIT) have shown promising results. In a 2010 study of Li et al, eleven late-stage melanoma patients received LIT in one or multiple 6-week treatment cycles applied to a 200-cm(2) treatment site, which usually contained multiple cutaneous metastases. Long-term, positive response was observed in six patients. All lesions in the treatment area of the patients responded to LIT, eight of which achieved complete local response (CLR). CLR was observed in the non-treatment site (regional) lesions in four patients. Five patients were still alive at the time of last follow-up. The probability of 12-month overall survival was 70%.(2) In 2011, Li et al, treated ten late stage breast cancer patients with LIT.(1) In 8 patients available for evaluation, the objective response rate was 62.5% and the clinical beneficial response rate was 75%.(1) This review demonstrates that LIT is safe and well tolerated, so it can be easily applied on an outpatient basis and can be combined with other pharmaceutical modalities to improve the therapeutic response of metastatic cancers.