Effects of vascular targeting photodynamic therapy on lymphatic tumor metastasis

Vascular targeting photodynamic therapy (vPDT) is currently in clinical trial for prostate cancer (PCa) treatment. In order to study the effect of vPDT on tumor metastasis, GFP-PC3 or PC-3 xenografts were treated with verteporfin (BPD) PDT. Vascular function was assessed by ultrasound imaging; lymph node and lung metastasis were assessed by fluorescence imaging. vPDT significantly reduced tumor blood flow within 30minutes to 2 hours of treatment. Sub-curative treatment resulted in re-perfusion within 2 weeks of treatment and increased lymph node metastasis. With curative doses, no metastasis was observed. In order to identify cellular or matrix factors and cytokines implicated, conditioned medium from BPD PDT-treated endothelial cells was incubated with PC3 cells in vitro. Tumor cell proliferation and migration was assessed. By immunoblotting, we evaluated the change in mediators of intracellular signaling or that may determine changes in tumor phenotype. Low sub-curative dose (200ng/ml BPD) of endothelial cells was associated with similar to 15% greater migration in PC3 cells when compared with control. This dose was also associated with sustained activation of Akt at Ser 473, an upstream effector in the Akt/mTOR pathway that has been correlated with Gleason scores in PCa and with survival and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, the study implicates efficacy of PDT of endothelial cells as an important determinant of its consequences on adjacent tumor proliferation and metastasis.