Photodynamic Therapy for Recurrent Head and Neck Malignancy

Lee, Yong Sik; Lim, Young Chang; Lee, Yeo Jin; Park, Mun Su; Kim, Jae Myeong

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
As a preliminary study, authors tried to verify clinical and side effects of Radachlorin in a photodynamic therapy for recurrent head and neck malignancy. Radachlorin shows an absorption peak at 662 nm, which indicates that it penetrates up to 10 mm.
SUBJECTS AND METHOD
We treated 12 sites for 9 treatments in 6 recurrent head and neck malignacies, 4 cases of squamous cell cancers and each of adenoid cystic cancer, and undifferentiated nasopharyngeal cancer. A dose of 1 mg/kg or 2-5 mL of Radachlorin was i.v. injected into the mass according to the mass size. We used a diode laser, MILON-662 (Milon Laser Company, Russia) and Medlight cylindrical 10/20 radial diffuser and frontal diffuser as light delivery devices. About 3 hrs after intravenous injection, or 30 min after intralesional injection, a light dose of 200-300 J/cm2 or cm of laser was irradiated onto the tumor or intralesionally with the light dose of 200-300 J/cm2, or cm.
RESULTS
There was partial tumor regression in three of the five primary tumors. In one case of metastatic node treated by intralesional injection and irradiation, tumor showed complete necrosis. But there was no effect in 2 cases of subcutaneous metastases. There were no side effects such as fever, chill and photosensitivity in any of the cases.
CONCLUSION
The clinical effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using Radachlorin with 662 nm of laser light is not clear yet, but it seems to be a safe treatment for head and neck malignancy. We need to investigate the effect of this PDT system in untreated head and neck malignancies.