Revolutionary Laser Light Therapy Helping Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Reporting by Rick Dayton from CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Pittsburgh has gained a national and international reputation for the medicine being practiced here.

New developments continue to improve a patient’s quality of life even as they are being treated.

Now, a revolutionary laser light therapy is helping cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments.

“To me it was the perfect thing for a radiation oncologist to be doing. We really need as a field to take ownership of this.” Dr. David Clump said.

Dr. Clump is a radiation oncologist who works at UPMC Shadyside Hospital. He is a Medical Doctor who also has a Ph.D., and he is very excited about how doctors and nurses in Pittsburgh are treating a major side effect suffered by cancer patients who are going through chemotherapy treatments.

“We have been using a different spectrum of radiation within the visible light spectrum to try to help heal sores,” he said.

The therapy is called photobiomodulation, which is a form of laser light therapy. Teams at UPMC Shadyside Hospital use it to treat the mouth sores that often are the result of chemotherapy. The medical term for the sores is oral mucositis.

Read the full news story on pittsburgh.cbslocal.com