5-aminolevulinic acid- mediated photodynamic diagnosis and photodynamic therapy for urological cancers

Abstract

Photodynamic technology using light-sensitive and fluorescent substances has attracted attention as an auxiliary diagnostic tool in cancer. Light-sensitive and fluorescent substances injected into the body accumulate specifically in tumor cell, and by light irradiation and excitation at specific wavelengths, fluorescence is emitted. This application of photodynamic reactions as medical technology is called photodynamic diagnosis (PDD). PDD for bladder cancer was clinically introduced in 2004. PDD is very useful for the detection of tiny lesion and flat lesions such as carcinoma in situ (CIS). Transurethral resection of bladder cancer (TURBT) with PDD improved treatment outcome of bladder cancer in clinical practice. In our attempt of ALA-PDT for prostate cancer, we conducted therapy effect in human prostate cancer cells. We tried to improve the effectiveness of ALA-PDT by mechanism analysis of porphyrin metabolism in human prostate cancer cells. The control of porphyrin metabolism can make PDT system with high efficiency and safety.