title: Photodynamic therapy in colorectal cancer treatment--The state of the art in preclinical research.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is used in many different oncologic fields. Also in gastroenterology, where have been a few attempts to treat both the premalignant lesion and advanced colorectal cancer (CRC). This review aims to give a general overview of preclinical photodynamic studies related to CRC cells and animal studies of photodynamic effects related to CRC treatment to emphasize their potential in study of PDT mechanism, safety and efficiency to translate these results into clinical benefit in CRC treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature on in vitro preclinical photodynamic studies related to CRC cells and animal studies of photodynamic effects related to CRC treatment with the fallowing medical subject headings search terms: colorectal cancer, photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer(s), in vitro, cell culture(s), in vivo, animal experiment(s). The articles were selected by their relevance to the topic.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of preclinical studies concerning possibility of PDT application in colon and rectal cancer is focused on phototoxic action of photosensitizers toward cultured colorectal tumor cells in vitro. The purposes of animal experiments are usually elucidation of mechanisms of observed photodynamic effects in scale of organism, estimation of PDT safety and efficiency and translation of these results into clinical benefit.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In vitro photodynamic studies and animal experiments can be useful for studies of mechanisms and efficiency of photodynamic method as a start point on PDT clinical research. The primary disadvantage of in vitro experiments is a risk of over-interpretation of their results during extrapolation to the entire CRC.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, Medical University of Silesia, Batorego Street 15, 41-902 Bytom, Poland. Electronic address: akawczyk@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Aleksandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawczyk-Krupka
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, Medical University of Silesia, Batorego Street 15, 41-902 Bytom, Poland; College of Health, Beauty Care and Education, Brzeźnicka 3, 60-133 Poznań, Poland.
authors.forename: Andrzej M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bugaj
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, Medical University of Silesia, Batorego Street 15, 41-902 Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Wojciech
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Latos
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia Poniatowski 15, 40-055 Katowice, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zaremba
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Diseases, 11 Listopada 48, 28-200 Staszów, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wawrzyniec
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Chair and Department of Descriptive and Topographic Anatomy, Medical University of Silesia, Jordana Street 19, 41-808 Zabrze, Poland.
authors.forename: Marek
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kucharzewski
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine with the Division of Dentistry in Zabrze, Department and Clinic of Internal Diseases, Angiology and Physical Medicine, Center for Laser Diagnostics and Therapy, Medical University of Silesia, Batorego Street 15, 41-902 Bytom, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sieroń
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects / Q000528:radiation effects; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017319:Photosensitizing Agents
keywords: Animal experiments; Cancer treatment; Cell cultures; Colorectal cancer; Photodynamic therapy; Preclinical research