lasertherapy, mucositis, chemotherapy, bordet, brussels

Medical Services

Lasertherapy

Mission

The missions of the Laser Therapy Unit of Jules Bordet Institute are :

1) to prevent and treat mucositis induced by anticancer treatment such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy or both.

2) to show the efficiency of the low-energy laser or athermal laser for the treatment of mucositis induced by radiotherapy or by chemotherapy through the conduct of clinical trials.

3) to show other laser therapy's indications via studies of clinical research

What is a mucositis ?

Inflammation of the buccal and/or digestive mucous membrane frequently occurring one or two weeks after anticancer treatment starts (chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy). It often results in resdness with desquamation leading to ulceration. These are really painful and sometimes, the treatment has to be interrupted or the doses must be reduced.

What is the laser ?

Definition : Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
The laser is the radiation of photons emitted at the same time and in the same direction (often of one colour and of the same wavelength). The resulting light has particular characteristics :
- spatial and temporal coherence
- a great density of power
- a very important directivity, the beam can be seen from very far
The laser is an ordered light by comparison to white light which is disordered.

How does the laser work ?

Therapeutic activity of the athermal laser is due to the transformation, in the tissues, of photonic energy into a photoelectric effect at the protein level. The treated mucosa absorb the laser energy leading to a re-adjustment of its own energy disrupted by chemo- and/or radiotherapy. The tissues are like accumulators : after having received the illumination, they give it partially back, allowing recovery of the (damaged tissues) lesions.
The athermal laser is painless and has no side effect. There is no risk of overdosage. The laser intensity and treatment duration depend on the surface and on the severity of the lesions. To be beneficial the treatment has to be repeated at least three times a week until disapperance of the lesions. The athermal laser is analgesic and has a quasi immediate effect on inflammation with reduction of edema and quicker cicatrisation. For using this laser, the room has to be dark, the patient and the physician have to wear glasses because the laser light is very dazzling.

For more details on this subject, click on the"Medical Information Section" and choose two papers published (in French) by Les Amis:

- Important advise before you start chemotherapy or "ENT" radiotherapy
- Mucosites treatment by Athermic laser

The Lasertherapy Unit was created in March 1999 by Dr Genot-Klastersky and at the request of physicians of Jules Bordet Institute who were concerned by the painful mucosal lesions induced the anticancer treatments they administer.

Currently, the Unit has 3 low-energy lasers whose purchase was possible only thanks to the support of "Les Amis de l'Institut Bordet", "Notre Boutique" and the firma BAYER :

1) The first machine (ONCOLASE Dige 250) is fixed.
It combines a visible laser 10mW with an infrared laser of continuous 50, 250 and 500 mW. The programming of emission duration and of frequency is digital, the scanning parameters are automatic. Moreover, it has an optical fibre system for local treatment.

2) The second laser is smaller, mobile but has the same power.
It is used on the 3rd floor of the hospital (in the Sterile Unit of the hematology department) to treat patients confined to bed.

3) The third one (ONCOLASE TW500) combined a visible laser 180 mW à 633 nm avec laser infrarouge de 250 mW à 810 nm

Mucositis of the tongue
	Grade II mucositis prior to treatment
	On day 6 after onset of laser treatment on every other day : no more lesion
Mucositis of the inferior lip
	Grade III mucositis prior to treatment
	Grade I mucositis on day 5 after onset of laser therapy on every other day

Person in charge : Dr Genot Marie-Thérèse

Update of this page : 09/2009