How good is SPDT?

How good is SPDT?

Let us start by looking at the medical literature, (actually using earlier and less effective sensitizers and equipment):

• Hopper(6) has reviewed the field and reports that trials with many cancers have shown that PDT can achieve control rates similar to those achieved with the standard techniques of surgery and radiotherapy. The advantages of PDT are: fewer side-effects; improved functional and cosmetic outcomes and simplicity. He reports many complete responses with various skin cancers and oral cancers.
• There were impressive results for early stage lung cancer (85% complete response), early bronchial and esophageal cancers (83% showed no recurrence after an average follow up time of 15.3 months) and early gastric cancer (complete response in 80% of patients with intestinal cancer). As expected, best results are obtained with early stage cancers, but unlike radiation therapy and surgery, PDT can be repeated many times (6).
• Okunaka and Kato (12) reported on the PDT treatment of 145 patients with a total of 191 early lung cancer lesions. Complete remission was obtained with 86.4% of the total number of lesions.
• Kato et al (8) reported a complete response with 83% of patients treated with PDT for early squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.
• Sheleg et al (13) used PDT to treat 14 patients with skin metastases from melanoma. All skin melanoma metastases showed complete regression with no recurrence during the study period.
• In our opinion, these results are so good that cancer specialists should be reporting them to patients as part of a full disclosure of treatment options.