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Photodynamic therapy and/or external beam radiation therapy for roentgenologically occult lung cancer
Author(s) -
Imamura Sumitaka,
Kusunoki Yoko,
Takifuji Nobuhide,
Kudo Shinzoh,
Matsui Kaoru,
Masuda Noriyuki,
Takada Minoru,
Negoro Shunichi,
Ryu Shinei,
Fukuoka Masahiro
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19940315)73:6<1608::aid-cncr2820730611>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - medicine , occult , lung cancer , radiation therapy , cancer , photodynamic therapy , lung , radiology , surgery , oncology , pathology , chemistry , alternative medicine , organic chemistry
Background and Methods. Thirty‐nine roentgenologically occult lung cancers in 29 patients were treated using photodynamic therapy (PDT) and/or thoracic radiotherapy (TRT) from January 1986 to March 1992. With the exception of one mixed‐tumor case, all were squamous cell carcinomas. Results. Initial PDT achieved complete responses in 25 of 39 (64%) of the cancers. Of the remaining 14 cancers that showed less than complete response (CR), 10 of the 14 (71.4%) showed a CR when subsequently treated with TRT, yielding an overall CR rate of 89.7% for cancers treated. Although nine patients experienced recurrences, six of these had CR when treated with PDT and/or TRT. To date, 22 patients are alive. Causes of death in the patients enrolled in this study are as follows: pyothorax (2); heart failure due to pulmonary hypertension (1); chronic respiratory insufficiency (1); subsequent primary brain cancer (1); and subsequent primary lung cancer (1). Only one died of primary lung cancer. Conclusions. These findings suggest that PDT and/or TRT may be used as an alternative to surgery in the treatment of selected patients with roentgenologically occult lung cancer.