Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a novel cancer treatment. In Japan, it became eligible for national insurance coverage in January 2021, specifically for “unresectable locally advanced or unresectable locally recurrent head and neck cancer.” PIT targets the epidermal growth factor receptor using a conjugate of a photosensitizing agent (IR700) and an anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody (cetuximab sarotalocan sodium), followed by laser light illumination at 690 nm. Two patients with laryngeal and hypopharyngeal lesion were treated with PIT in our institution. Case 1 had a recurrent glottic cancer that persisted despite multiple transoral carbon dioxide laser microsurgeries. The tumor showed shrinkage with each PIT cycle but eventually became uncontrollable. In Case 2, laryngeal and pharyngeal lesions showed a complete response to PIT, enabling normal swallowing and speaking functions without recurrence. However, the applicability of PIT to laryngeal and hypopharyngeal lesions remains challenging due to the difficulty of determining appropriate eligibility criteria and the limitations associated with the illumination approach. Further research and case accumulation are necessary to establish the effectiveness, safety, and optimal treatment strategies for PIT in laryngeal and hypopharyngeal lesions.
