Low-cost Enabling Technology for Image-guided Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) of Oral Cancer Cancer.

Oral cancer in India affects mostly those from the lower socioeconomic groups, due to a higher exposure to risk factors such as the use of tobacco, zarda, khaini, chewing gutka, mawa, and kharra, which are all dry mixtures of flavorings, areca nut flakes and powdered tobacco. Earlier detection of oral cancer offers the best chance for long-term survival and has the potential to improve treatment outcomes and make healthcare affordable. Current treatment options, primarily surgery and/or radiation, can be curative if cancer or dysplasia is caught at a sufficiently early stage. Though even in these cases treatment may be disfiguring with significant impact upon quality of life, and many patients do not seek medical attention until the disease has progressed to a point where radical operation is required (Stage III/IV), often entailing block dissection and removal of the entire lymphatic drainage of the neck. Despite the radical operation, the disease still recurs, leading to an overall survival rate of less than 70% of these cases. The present study evaluates photodynamic therapy (PDT) as an alternative intervention for early-stage malignant lesions of the oral cavity using a low-cost and battery-powered platform that is specifically adapted for low and middle-income countries (LMIC) implementation.