Early clinical experience with 5-aminolevulinic acid for the photodynamic therapy of upper tract urothelial tumors.
OBJECTIVE
Photodynamic therapy is effective in the treatment of superficial urothelial cancer of the bladder. We report our experience with photodynamic therapy for the treatment of upper urinary tract transitional cell carcinoma.


METHODS
Photodynamic therapy after oral administration of 5-aminolevulinic acid was performed in 4 patients with widespread superficial papillary tumors of the upper urinary tract.


RESULTS
Complete remission occurred in 2 patients who remained free of local recurrence at 7 and 17 months of followup. In the other 2 patients residual tiny papillary tumors were found in the distal ureter after photodynamic therapy. These tumors were coagulated with neodymium:YAG laser irradiation. Both patients are disease-free at 24-month followup.


CONCLUSIONS
Photodynamic therapy with 5-aminolevulinic acid is a minimally invasive approach for organ preserving treatment of multifocal superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract.
Waidelich
R
R
Department of Urology and Institute of Anesthesiology, University of Munich, Germany.
Hofstetter
A
A
Stepp
H
H
Baumgartner
R
R
Weninger
E
E
Kriegmair
M
M
D000368:Aged; D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid