Update on the current indications, practice and results of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in early central lung cancer (ECLC)

Photodynamic Therapy as an Adjunct to Surgery or Other Treatments for Squamous Cell Lung Cancers

“…7) The disadvantages include the need for repeated toileting or brushing bronchoscopy and the requirement that the patient stay indoors because of the risk of skin photosensitivity. Some patients require another treatment even when they are diagnosed in the early stage of lung cancer.…”

“…Currently, PDT is being explored experimentally as an option for mesothelioma patients [1][2][3] and researchers hope that PDT will be useful in the future as a treatment against large, solid tumors or peripheral lung cancers. 4) In clinical practice, the treatment of choice in many lung cancers is combined surgery and either concurrent chemotherapy or radiotherapy rather than PDT [5][6][7] and therefore either recurrence or cancers newly diagnosed after surgery are frequently encountered. When these patients have an inoperable condition or the lesion is small and at an early stage, PDT often becomes the preferable treatment option.…”

Usefulness of Photodynamic Therapy in the Management of Early Central Lung Cancer: A Report of Three Cases

“…For porphyrin-based PDT, we have used light doses of 220∼240 J/cm administered through a diode laser system emitting red light at 630 nm. Although some reports in the literature describe the use of light doses of 150∼300 J/cm for illumination of the lesion 15 , currently, the majority recommend a light dose of about 200 J/cm of tumor for porphyrin-based PDT in bronchoscopic applications. However, Endo et al reported that a complete response to PDT was achieved in 94% of their ECLC patients using laser irradiation with a total energy of 100 J/cm 2 .…”

A look at clinical applications and developments of photodynamic therapy

“…The recommended dose of the drug for PDT in lung cancer is 2 mg/kg body weight to be administered 24 to 72 hours prior to illumination [22].…”

“…Moghissi et al [22] also investigated the efficacy of PDT with Photofrin ® in central type lung cancer and concluded its favorable effectiveness: photosensitivity skin reaction was the main complication. The same investigation group treated 144 patients with Photofrin ® for advanced lung cancer and at eight weeks the luminal diameter increased in all patients by an average of 58% with a median survival of five months.…”