Photodynamic therapy clinical applications

Harrod-Kim P (2006) Tumor ablation with photodynamic therapy introduction to mechanism and clinical applications. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology 17 1441-1448. 

Sessler, J.L. and Miller, R.A. (2000) Texaphyrins new drugs with diverse clinical applications in radiation and photodynamic therapy, Biochem. Pharmacol. 59, 733-739. 

Usui M, Miyagi M, Fukasawa S, et al, A first trial in the clinical application of photodynamic therapy for the prevention of restenosis after coronary-stent placement, Lasers Surg Med 2004 34(3)235-241. 

Dougherty, T. J. (2002). An update on photodynamic therapy applications Journal of Clinical Laser Medicine Surgery 20 3-7. 

For the past 15 years we and many others have been investigating the application of photosensitization to the treatment of a wide variety of cancers in man. Several reviews of the clinical results have been published [1-4]. While this treatment has been referred to by many descriptions, the most commonly employed is photodynamic therapy (PDT), although the involvement of the type II photodynamic process in vivo, that is, generation of singlet oxygen by energy transfer from the sensitizer to oxygen, is inferred rather than proven (see below). 

Hasan, T. (1992) Photosensitizer delivery mediated by macromolecular carrier systems, in Henderson, B.W. and Dougherty, T.J. (Eds.) Photodynamic Therapy. Basic Principles and Clinical Applications, New York Marcel Dekker... 

In Handerson BW and Dougherty TJ (eds) Photodynamic Therapy Basic Principles and Clinical Applications, Marcel Dekker, New York... 

R.M. Szeimies, S. Karrer, A. Sauerwald, M. Landthaler (1996). Photodynamic therapy with topical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid in the treatment of actinic keratoses an initial clinical study. Dermatology, 192, 246-251. 

Photodynamic applications, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) and most recently photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) are currently undergoing intensive clinical investigations as an adjunctive treatment modality for malignant brain tumors. 

G. Jori (1988). Photodynamic therapy of malignant brain tumors clinical results of, difficulties with, questions about, and future prospects for the neurosurgical applications. Neurosurgery, 23(5), 557-563. 

Photodynamic therapy is well tolerated with minimal accumulative toxicity in patients as compared to chemotherapy and radiation therapy. It is minimally invasive and highly specific and does not cause scarring after the treatment. However, clinical application of photodynamic therapy is still limited to treat superficial lesions because it requires accurate light irradiation. Another challenge for effective photodynamic therapy is the specific delivery of the photosensitizer into cancer cells. Current photosensitizers do not have good specificity to cancer cells. Recent development in drug delivery and biomedical imaging allows efficient delivery of photosensitizers into tumor tissues and accurate location of non-superficial lesions for effective photodynamic therapy. 

Henderson, B. W. Dougherty, T. J., Eds. Photodynamic Therapy Basic Principles and Clinical Application Marcel Dekker New York, 1992. 

T.J. Dougherty, Clinical applications of photodynamic therapy, in CRC Handbook of Organic Photochemistry and Photobiology, ed. by W.M. Horspool, PS. Song (CRC, New York, 1995), p. 1384... 

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