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RECURRING GYNAECOLOGIC CANCER TREATED WITH PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY
Author(s) -
Corti L.,
Tomio L.,
Maluta S.,
Minucci D.,
Fontana M.,
Cittar H.,
Calzavara F.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
photochemistry and photobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.818
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1751-1097
pISSN - 0031-8655
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1987.tb04874.x
Subject(s) - medicine , photodynamic therapy , cervix , radiation therapy , surgery , cancer , adenocarcinoma , chemistry , organic chemistry
Tumor recurrences in the gynaecological field after conventional therapy are a big problem because there is little choice for other therapy without inflicting further damage. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is indicated because it is selective and without side‐effects in flat or small recurrences. We treated 12 patients with vaginal and vault recurrences of cervix carcinoma, adenocarcinoma corpus uteri and rectum. The PDT was performed after 24‐48 h with Hp, 5 mg kg’body wt injection, using an argon‐dye laser for 10 cases, tungsten and xenon lamps in two cases. All patients were previously treated with conventional therapy (i.e. surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy). Doses ranged from 60 to 300 J cm −2 . The results were 7 complete local with 4 partial responses, and 1 with no change. Three patients died because of distant metastases, 1 partial response was treated with brachytherapy and is now disease free. All the other patients are still living. In all cases we have seen no side‐effects from PDT. The patients were sheltered from the sunlight for 20‐30 days after therapy. We recently used a new argon‐pumped CW dye laser. This high‐power argon laser consists of 2 argon tubes in series which emit green light up to 10 W and at 630 nm up to 3 W. We are evaluating the high power to see if this improves the results.