Laser therapy is a relatively new way to treat cancer that uses high-intensity light to destroy cancer cells. Laser therapy has been commonly used to treat benign conditions, such as in corrective eye procedures. However, it is now being used in certain cancer treatments. In some patients, laser therapy has been shown to cure their cancer. More often, it is used to relieve symptoms such as bleeding and obstruction when other therapies cannot be used or fail to work.

Ordinary light is made up of many different wavelengths that spread in all directions. In contrast, laser light has one specific wavelength focused in a narrow beam of high-intensity light. Lasers can focus precisely on tiny areas, enabling them to accurately target small areas of human tissue. Laser therapy is most often used to treat superficial cancers, which include those on the surface of the body or the lining of internal organs. Laser therapy use is limited because the area treated must be visualized during treatment. The most common cancers treated with laser therapy include:

• Basal cell skin cancer
• Cervical cancer
• Penile cancer
• Vaginal cancer
• Vulvar cancer
• Non-small cell lung cancer

Other cancers treated with laser therapy include cancers of the:

• Anus, colon or rectum
• Bladder
• Esophagus
• Stomach
• Trachea
• Vocal cords

Currently, laser therapy is primarily used to relieve symptoms from the disease or its treatment (palliative therapy). Research continues to evaluate the effectiveness of laser therapy as means to cure various cancers.