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Before we explain what XyChloro
Photodynamic Therapy (XPDT) is and how it works we offer
a small bit of background information on our non-invasive
treatment.
Current medical practice does reasonably well with diagnosing
and surgically removing the primary tumors. The greatest weakness
of current therapies is in killing remaining metastases. The
best time to eliminate them is as early in the disease process
as possible, before they have had time to grow and damage
vital tissue. However, there are problems:
- The tools currently used to attack metastases: chemotherapy,
radiation therapy and hormone therapy may have undesirable
side effects; may not work at all for many people; and when
they do, they may do so only for a few years.
- Metastases are hard to find. Tumors less than a few millimeters
in size are hard to detect with scanning techniques; and
they may not be detected by blood tests for tumor markers.
- The net result is that the doctor often does not know
if the patient needs additional treatment after surgery,
and if so, how much. This is a very important issue when
using toxic therapies. Even if effective, too little treatment
may not be enough to complete the job. Too much treatment
may cause unacceptable side effects.
- If metastases are present, surgical removal of the primary
tumor may result in growth of the smaller tumors in distant
sites 8.
XyChloro Photodynamic Therapy
(XPDT) dramatically improves this situation. Let us begin
by describing the predecessor technology to XPDT, which is
known as Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
PDT was first used medically in 1904 to cure skin cancer.
It is now in reasonably common use for this purpose. In a
recent review in the Lancet Oncology, Hopper states that,
"PDT can achieve control rates similar to those achieved
with the standard techniques of surgery and radiotherapy6.
The real advantages of PDT are the lower morbidity rates,
improved functional and cosmetic outcomes and simplicity of
the technique6." In the last decades, advances in photosensitizing
agents and light delivery methods and numerous clinical trials
have led to PDT being approved in several countries (Canada,
Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan and U.S.) for the first-line
treatment of various cancers10.
With local PDT and earlier photosensitizers. Hopper has reviewed
the field and reports that trials with many cancers have shown
that PDT can achieve control rates similar to those achieved
with the standard techniques of surgery and radiotherapy6.
The advantages of PDT are: fewer side-effects; improved functional
and cosmetic outcomes and simplicity. He reports many complete
responses with various skin cancers and oral cancers. There
were impressive results for early stage lung cancer (85 %
complete response), early bronchial and esophageal cancers
(83 % showed no recurrence after an average follow up time
of 15.3 months) and early gastric cancer (complete response
in 80 % of patients with intestinal cancer). As expected,
best results are obtained with early stage cancers, but unlike
radiation therapy and surgery, PDT can be repeated many times.
Okunaka and Kato reported on the PDT treatment of 145 patients
with a total of 191 early lung cancer lesions12. Complete
remission was obtained with 86.4 % of the total number of
lesions.
Kato et al reported a complete response with 83 % of patients
treated with PDT for early squamous cell carcinoma of the
lung8.
Sheleg et al used PDT to treat 14 patients with skin metastases
from melanoma13. All skin melanoma metastases showed complete
regression with no recurrence during the study period.
These results are so good that cancer specialists should
be reporting them to patients as part of a full disclosure
of treatment options.
PDT plus surgery
Hopper makes the point that in a large number of solid tumors,
surgery leaves behind residual microscopic disease that may
lead to local recurrence or metastatic disease6. PDT is an
ideal adjuvant therapy especially when the risk of local failure
is high, as in gastrointestinal and prostate surgery. A review
of the treatment of more than 310 brain cancer patients concluded
that there is a clear trend towards improved survival when
PDT is used along with surgery.
NOW on to XyChloro Photodynamic
Therapy (XPDT)
XyChloro means treating the whole body, the "system".
This XyChloro Process allows XYTOS to treat the entire body
and in a number of cases the treatment will eliminate cancer
in areas that may not have been detected. This is in contrast
to localized treatment such as surgery and radiation, which
are used to treat only part of the body. In the cases of localized
treatment the patient as well as the treating physician is
unsure if all cancer within the body as been identified and
successfully treated. The patient must simply wait for a reoccurrence.
Photodynamic means activated by photons (light). The photosensitizer
is the substance (cellular medicine or agent) that is activated.
Sonodynamic means actuation by sound.
The development of XyChloro®
a next generation photosensitizers has made XyChloro PDT (XPDT)
possible:
- As stated, XPDT can be used to treat the whole body. This
is only possible because the XyChloro®(photosensitizer)
is highly selective and because it rapidly clears from healthy
cells. Although the body can now be safely exposed to light,
with the introduction of XyChloro®
and the advancements in the XYTOS
treatment procedure, XYTOS
has determined that the concentrated light and sound in
specific areas of a patient's body has produced better results
than the whole body light delivery system. As an example,
using concentrated light and sound, XYTOS
has been able to achieve significantly better results in
the lymph nodes under a patient's arm, where the whole body
light delivery system has been less effective. Additionally,
XYTOS has determined that
although the red and infrared light emitted by the light
treatment bed has been effective in the past, XYTOS'
newest photo/sonosensitizer XyChloro®,
accompanied with our new concentrated light and sound delivery
system, utilizes white light which covers all ranges of
the spectrum.
- The fact that PDT is now a XyChloro®
therapy (XPDT) is vital. XyChloro®
therapies are the only ones that can treat undetected cancer.
If the cancer can be anywhere, we have to treat the entire
body.
- Local therapies, surgery, radiation therapy and PDT with
earlier photosensitizers can only be effective if the location
of the cancer is known. Typically the primary tumor is known
and can be effectively treated with surgery. After surgery,
the patients (and the doctor) usually do not know if they
have remaining metastases, and if so, where they are. If
metastases are present, surgical removal of the primary
tumor may result in growth of the smaller tumors in distant
sites9.
- With XPDT, diagnosis and tumor location are less important.
For surgery and radiation therapy, we need to know exactly
where the cancer is. With chemotherapy and hormone therapy,
we need to know what type of cancer it is. XPDT can be very
effective even if we do not know where the cancer is or
what type it is.
- The therapy can be repeated as often as required. This
is because the photosensitizer has very low toxicity before
it is exposed to light. The body treats it as a food. Once
activated, it is toxic, but only to the cells it is in,
i.e. the cancer cells. Thus the photosensitizer acts as
a 'Trojan horse'. Compare this with radiation therapy, where
the larger the dose, the greater the damage to normal cells
as well as to cancer cells. Also compare it to chemotherapy,
where the body correctly treats these drugs as toxins; it
eventually learns to resist them, and chemotherapy ceases
to be effective.
As stated, XPDT utilizes a light sensitive photosensitizer
(cellular medicine or agent), which selectively accumulates
in diseased tissue. The XYTOS
Doctors have developed the Next Generation Photosensitizer
called XyChloro®. XyChloro®,
uses the core component chlorophyllin a product of chlorophyll.
XyChloro® represents a
major breakthrough in our fight against cancer. (See the section
on this website comparing XyChloro®
and previous Photosensitizers).
After the photosensitizer / agent (XyChloro®)
is administered orally, light and sound of specific wavelengths
are then applied to the affected area or the entire body to
activate the XyChloro®
(or agent) .
How does it work?
- Light-activated agent (XyChloro®,
photosensitizer) administered
- XyChloro®, (Agent)
accumulates selectively in affected tissue
- Advanced Light Delivery System administered to activate
the XyChloro®
In the illustration below the malignant cells and the photosensitizer
(also referred to as the Cellular Medicine or Agent) are attracted
and fused together. The XYTOS
Doctors then administers an advanced Light Treatment, which
creates singlet oxygen. It is this oxidant (singlet oxygen)
that kills cancer cells (resulting in apoptosis). Apoptosis
is a genetically determined process of cell self-destruction
that is marked by the fragmentation of nuclear DNA. Apoptosis
is activated either by the presence of a stimulus (in this
case singlet oxygen) or by the removal of a stimulus or suppressing
agent. Apoptosis is a normal physiological process of eliminating
DNA-damaged, superfluous, or unwanted cells (i.e. programmed
cell death). As detailed under the comparison sections of
this website you will see that the yield of singlet oxygen
is much greater using XyChloro®,
then any previous photosensitizer. Of course this is one of
many advantages of XyChloro®.
Once apoptosis takes place fragmentation of the tumor cells
causes the immune system to produce tumor specific anti-bodies
resulting in (auto vaccination). Thus clearing the body of
unwanted cell fragmentations and stimulating the body to continue
the process of healing.
More specific details of the process are as follows:
Dougherty et al report that PDT destroys cancer cells using
a number of different mechanisms4:
- Direct cytolytic (cell destroying) effect
- Induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death)
- Induction of an immune response to tumor (non-specific
as well as specific response, which may lead to long term
control of the tumor)
- Induction of micro vascular damage (angiogenesis), which
may lead to tumor nutrient deprivation
The XYTOS Photodynamic therapy
is a non-toxic effective treatment for primary and metastatic
cancer and other diseases (see
section on other treatments). Following light administration,
tumor cells are damaged or destroyed which results in apoptosis
(see medical terms)
After treatment
Cancerous tumor cells are illuminated (orange)
This picture was taken 24 hours after treatment
Cancerous Tumor cells (orange)
72 hours after treatment, showing
massive cell death
Agent also accumulates in new vessels feeding
tumor
Blood clots in vessels feeding tumor
After light treatment blood flow coagulates
Blood clots in vessels feeding tumor
Visible examples before and after therapy has taken place.
Before Therapy
After Therapy
In the picture below, light is applied to
the affected area in a localized treatment
after the photosensitizer (agent) has been taken by the patient.
The before and after photos below shows that the
cancerousarea can be successfully treated
Before Treatment
After Treatment
Esophagus Cancer
| Week 1 |
Week 3 |
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| Week 3 |
Week 6 |
Endoscopically delivered PDT is an
FDA approved therapy for
esophageal and lung cancer
Skin Cancer
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