Presentation Of New Independent Research On The Use Of Ambulight PDT To Treat Skin Cancer In Gorlin Syndrome Sufferers
Ambicare Health, who’s lead product is the Ambulight PDT, the world’s first light emitting sticking plaster for the treatment of skin cancer, is pleased to announce that Dr Ernest Allan, a leading Oncologist from one of the UK’s centres of excellence for treating patients with Gorlin Syndrome, The Christie Hospital in Manchester, will be presenting at the Gorlin Syndrome Group Annual Patient Conference on 23 October at the Novotel in Birmingham.
At the conference Dr Allan will present for the first time the results he has achieved using the Ambulight PDT. Ambulight PDT is the most advanced ambulatory PDT device to be developed to date for the treatment non-melanoma skin cancer, enabling patients to continue with their normal daily routine while undergoing PDT treatment.
Patients with Gorlin Syndrome suffer from a repeat occurrence of Basal Cell Carcinoma (“skin cancer”) throughout their lives. This can result in disfigurement from surgical excision, high levels of anxiety associated with multiple visits to hospital for painful conventional PDT treatment or issues with maintaining employment due to increased time undergoing therapy.
Gorlin Syndrome is a rare condition. It affects about 1 in 57,000 people. Around 8 out of 10 people with Gorlin syndrome have someone else in their family with it, and have inherited a faulty gene from one of their parents.
People who have Gorlin Syndrome have 2 or more of the following medical conditions:
- An increased risk of developing basal cell skin cancer
- Skin problems – skin tags and skin cysts
- Cysts on the patient’s jaw
- Medulloblastoma (PNET) – a type of brain tumour which develops in 1 in 20 people
- Changes in a sufferer’s bones – they may be longer and larger than usual
- Pits on the palms of a sufferers hands and soles of the feet
- Benign tumours of the ovary – these develop in 1 in 5 people
The Gorlin Syndrome Group is organised by patients affected by Gorlin Syndrome and their families, with support from a medical advisory board. Its main aims and objectives are:
- To offer guidance, advice and information to those affected by Gorlin Syndrome
- The advancement of the education of the medical profession into Gorlin Syndrome and its implications for the family
- To promote research into the causes, effects, treatment and management of Gorlin Syndrome
Commenting, Gary Conroy, Sales & Marketing Director of Ambicare Health, said “The results of this independent study are exceptionally important to us and could potentially change the way that skin cancer is treated in this vulnerable patient group. We await the outcome with anticipation.”
Notes
Ambulight PDT Technology
The Ambulight PDT is a light source intended for use in topical Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) of non melanoma skin cancers. It emits light with a peak wavelength of 640nm and a full width half maximum (FWHM) of 20nm. The irradiance of light emitted from the Ambulight PDT is 7mW/cm2. It delivers a total light dose of 75 J/cm2 to the treatment site and is designed to be used in conjunction with a pharmaceutical cream. Two devices are needed to complete a treatment course, with each treatment lasting 6 hours. The two treatments are one month apart. Ambicare’s technology is IP protected and we have six patents either granted or pending.
PDT
In Europe PDT is regularly the first line of treatment recommended for non melanoma skin cancer. It is a two-step process involving the application of a pharmaceutical cream which creates a photosensitive daughter compound, followed by controlled exposure to a selective light source which activates the light sensitive chemical and destroys the diseased cells.
Current PDT treatment generally involves a day patient appointment at the hospital where a large static PDT light source is used to treat a limited number of patients. This is inconvenient for the patient and costly for the healthcare provider as it ties up a hospital day bed, as well as restricting the number of patients who can be treated.
Alternatives to PDT Treatment
The alternative treatment methods to PDT are surgery, use of topical creams and cryotherapy. Each of these can be painful, irritate the skin, leave scarring and can be highly stressful for the patient. PDT treatment is less invasive than surgery and avoids the scarring associated with surgical removal of the lesion which can often require an in-patient hospital stay.
Source:
Gorlin Syndrome Group