Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 43 No. 1, 2004.
Case report
The Role of Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Carcinomas
Marko Doko
Elizabet Glavan
Mario Zovak
Mario Kopljar
Hrvoje Hochstädter
Neven Ljubičić
Abstract
The discovery that particular substances can cause photosensitivity is attributed to Oscar Raab, however, the modern era of photodynamic therapy was established by Dr. T.J. Dougherty from Buffalo Memorial Institute. He was the first to report that a systemically injected porphyrin (hematoporphyrin), when activated by red light, caused complete eradication of transplanted experimental tumors. He also was the first to demonstrate the preferential accumulation of the photosensitizer in malignant cells. The first clinical application of photodynamic therapy was in 1980 at the Tokyo Medical College in a patient with a small upper bronchial squamous cell tumor, treated at bronchoscopy with photodynamic therapy using a laser as the light source. The tumor was completely eradicated. Simultaneously, a case of large obstructing esophageal cancer similarly treated with photodynamic therapy with good relief of dysphagia and prolonged survival was reported. The current state-of-the-art and results recorded in the clinical use of photodynamic therapy in the management of gastrointestinal malignancies are presented.
Keywords
Photochemotherapy; Photosensitizing agents - therapeutic use; Photochemotherapy - instrumentation; Gastrointestinal neoplasms - therapy
Hrčak ID:
14448
URI
Publication date:
1.3.2004.
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