Cooperative clinical trial of photodynamic therapy with photofrin II and excimer dye laser for early gastric cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a recently developed endoscopic method for treating malignant tumors. For obtaining more photodynamic action with less thermal effect, we employed as the excitation light source for PDT an excimer dye laser, which is a pulsed laser with extremely high peak power, instead of an argon dye laser, which is a continuous wave laser and has been used conventionally.


METHODS
The effect of PDT using Photofrin II and the excimer dye laser was evaluated in 27 patients with early gastric cancer.


RESULTS
Complete responses (CR) were obtained in 88% of 24 assessable patients and the response rate was 100%. CR was observed in all cases of lesions of superficial depressed type without ulceration and/or with tumor diameter less than 2 cm. Regarding toxicity, mild cutaneous reaction and photosensitivity were seen and lasted several weeks. There were no serious abnormalities in laboratory tests.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that PDT is a promising modality for early gastric cancer.
Mimura
S
S
Department of Gastroenterology, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Japan.
Ito
Y
Y
Nagayo
T
T
Ichii
M
M
Kato
H
H
Sakai
H
H
Goto
K
K
Noguchi
Y
Y
Tanimura
H
H
Nagai
Y
Y
Suzuki
S
S
Hiki
Y
Y
Hayata
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017323:Dihematoporphyrin Ether / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006414:Hematoporphyrin Photoradiation / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010787:Photosensitivity Disorders / Q000209:etiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018675:Toxicity Tests
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D017323:Dihematoporphyrin Ether