title: Principles of the photodynamic therapy and its impact on the immune system.
abstract: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an encouraging procedure for treatment and diagnosis of a wide variety of malignant processes. There are three main mechanisms by which tumors are destroyed during PDT: direct cell destruction, damage to the vascular stroma and immune elimination. PDT of high intensity, targeted to a large number of cells results in immunosuppression. Low dose/energy or localized PDT stimulates the immune response against the tumor. The review reports recently performed animal experimental studies as well as the first human clinical studies.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Pediatrics, 2nd Medical School, Charles University, Prague, Motol, Czech Republic.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vanciková
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology; D010778:Photochemotherapy