New Ovarian Cancer Treatment: Photodynamic Therapy with Simultaneous Gene Suppression

Ovarian cancer is among the common cancers in women in our country. It has usually spread to the abdominal cavity when diagnosed. Chemotherapy and surgery for ovarian cancer spread within the abdomen aim to reduce recurrence risk and prolong survival. Today, we wanted to share a promising study in treating ovarian cancer that has spread into the abdominal cavity.

Surgery is usually not preferred for cancers spread to other organs (metastatic), but ovarian cancer is an exception: surgery reducing disease burden in ovarian cancer with abdominal spread has been proven to prolong survival. However, even surgery using the most advanced technology may leave cancer particles too small to see, laying the groundwork for recurrence. Approaches such as hot intra-abdominal chemotherapy (hyperthermia) performed simultaneously with surgery have long been tested to reduce recurrence and offer partial benefits. Increased side effects and cancer cell resistance, however, weaken effectiveness. Researchers seeking alternatives therefore discovered photodynamic treatment , an effective therapy with fewer side effects.

The study published in Nanomedicine showed that combined gene therapy applied alongside photodynamic treatment for advanced ovarian cancer eliminated ovarian cancer in mice.

Photodynamic treatment has 4 steps:

1. The patient receives a photosensitizing compound called phthalocyanine, producing reactive oxygen species lethal to cells.
2. Infrared light allows photodynamic treatment to act much deeper in abdominal tissues.
3. Gene therapy disrupts cancer cells' defense mechanisms against reactive oxygen species.
4. To make phthalocyanine and gene therapy target only cancer cells without harming normal cells, nanotechnology and dendrimer-based nanoplatforms are used.

This combination was tested in mice with ovarian cancer implanted in their abdomens, and a single application completely cleared the tumors.

Dear readers, I consider this study an important step toward more effective results in advanced ovarian cancer. Scientific studies showing such powerful results help us better understand that advanced cancers may become manageable diseases.