Abstract
We studied experimentally photodynamic therapy (PDT) effects using SMT-F mammary carcinoma on mice. PDT with Photofrin II (DHE, 5mg/kg) and argon dye laser (ADL, 630nm) induced 5-10mm tumor necrosis in depth, depending on power density and energy density. Clinically, we applied PDT in February 1996 to a locally recurrent breast cancer patient. She was a 73 years old female and had previously been treated by several modalities including standard radical mastectomy in 1988. PDT condition employed was DHE (2mg/kg i. v. 48 hours before illumination) and excimer dye laser irradiation (EDL, 630nm, 8mJ/pulse, 40Hz, 134J/cm2). Tumor nodules were newly detected beyond laser-irradiated area 3 and half months after PDT. However, no tumor regrowth was observed at PDT-treated area for 1 year and 10 months till patient died of wide-spread breast cancer in October 1997. In applying PDT to a recurrent breast cancer, there are several problems : 1) no established laser condition, 2) no good diagnostic modality evaluating tumor depth at superficial regions, 3) no insurance coverage for superficial neoplasm PDT, 4) long period light guarding for Photofrin-PDT, and 5) no good method to evaluate clinical PDT effects in an early period.
