Light‐Activated Therapy: Photodynamic Therapy

Chapters 12 and 13 treat the use of light for therapy and treatment, an important area of biophotonics. These chapters provide examples of the use of light for therapy and medical procedures. Chapter 12 covers light-activated therapy, specifically the use of light to activate an administered photosensitizer which causes the destruction of cancer or treats a diseased tissue. This procedure is called photodynamic therapy (PDT) and constitutes a multidisciplinary area that has witnessed considerable global growth. Treatment of certain types of cancer using photodynamic therapy is already approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration as well as by equivalent agencies in other countries. Therefore, this chapter can be useful not only for researchers but also for clinicians and practicing oncologists. Applications of photodynamic therapy to areas other than cancer, for example to age-related macular degeneration, are also discussed.