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Photopheresis
| Extracorporeal Photopheresis (ECP) was originally described in 1987 for the treatment of Cutaneous T cell lymphoma and was the first selective ‘immunotherapy’ for the treatment of cancer. The process involves taking the patient’s blood and placing it in a large spinning ‘bowl’ (picture 1). By spinning the blood, particular cells of the blood called ‘white cells’ can be separated from the plasma (liquid) and red cells (cells containing haemoglobin); this process is called ‘leucopheresis’ (picture 2). | |
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| 1: Whole Blood is taken from the patient | 2: Leucopheresis - White cells are separated using a spinning bowl |
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| Once the white cells have been collected, a light-sensitive drug called 8-Methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) is injected into the white cells collection bag (picture 3). All the white cells are then continually passed by an Ultraviolet (UV) light. All the white cells are then continually passed by an Ultraviolet (UV) light. | |
| 3: White cell collection bag (contains some red cells) | 4: White cells are passed by UV light |
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| Once the treatment is completed the treated white cells are re-infused back to the patient. The procedure is performed daily and patients attend on two consecutive days. The treatment frequency varies according to clinical need, but patients generally return either two or four weekly. The time interval between treatments is extended if patients demonstrate a response. |
