Photodynamic therapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment for malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of PDT in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

METHODS:

Thirty-three patients with HNSCC were treated with porfimer sodium-mediated PDT followed by intraoperative light activation at 630 nm via fiber optic microlens delivered after 48 hours of injection.

RESULTS:

The complete response (CR) rate was 72.7%, while the efficacy (CR + partial response) rate was 97.0%. The rate of good local control (i.e., CR without recurrence after PDT) achieved after the initial PDT (82.6%) was significantly higher than that achieved after the second or third PDT (10%); this rate remained at 62.1% without functional disturbance and disfigurement even after excluding four previously untreated patients. The final local control rate following PDT plus additional therapies was 73.8%.

CONCLUSIONS:

PDT is an effective therapy to treat HNSCC, and leads to an improved quality of life in patients with residual or recurrent disease. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:420-426, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

• Authors: Seiji Hosokawa, Satoru Takebayashi, Goro Takahashi, Jun Okamura, Hiroyuki Mineta
• Journal: Lasers in surgery and medicine (Lasers Surg Med) Vol. 50 Issue 5 Pg. 420-426 (07 2018) ISSN: 1096-9101 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 29399863 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Chemical References

• Photosensitizing Agents
• Dihematoporphyrin Ether

Topics

• Adult
• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Dihematoporphyrin Ether (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Humans
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local (drug therapy, mortality, pathology)
• Neoplasm, Residual
• Photochemotherapy
• Photosensitizing Agents (therapeutic use)
• Retrospective Studies
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck (drug therapy, mortality, pathology)
• Survival Rate
• Treatment Outcome