Photodynamic therapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

BackgroundPhotodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment for malignant tumors. The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of PDT in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). MethodsThirty-three patients with HNSCC were treated with porfimer sodium-mediated PDT followed by intraoperative light activation at 630nm via fiber optic microlens delivered after 48 hours of injection. ResultsThe complete response (CR) rate was 72.7%, while the efficacy (CR+partial response) rate was 97.0%. The rate of good local control (i.e., CR without recurrence after PDT) achieved after the initial PDT (82.6%) was significantly higher than that achieved after the second or third PDT (10%); this rate remained at 62.1% without functional disturbance and disfigurement even after excluding four previously untreated patients. The final local control rate following PDT plus additional therapies was 73.8%. ConclusionsPDT is an effective therapy to treat HNSCC, and leads to an improved quality of life in patients with residual or recurrent disease. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:420-426, 2018. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.