22 years of photodynamic therapy in China

Abstract

The development of laser medicine in China is correlated with the development of laser science in China. The first Chinese ruby laser was created in 1961. Chinese pharmacists produced the Chinese HpD in 1981 and the first case of PDT was treated using Chinese HpD and Chinese laser equipment in the same year in Beijing. Its success brought attention establishing a research group supported by the government in 1982. A systemic research on PDT was then carried out and obvious results were achieved. The step taken for PDT also accelerated the researches on other kinds of laser medicine and surgery. Since 1982, thousands of patients of malignant tumors including tumors of the lung, esophagus, cardia, stomach, rectum, bladder, other urinary genital organs, face and mouth, eyes, ENT, head and neck, breast, and skin were treated using PDT in China. HpD fluorescence was examined in some centers. Except the superficial tumor cases, PDT procedures were done through the endoscopes. Since 1990's, imaging guided percutaneous PDT was adopted in the organs cannot be reached by the endoscopes, such as liver cancer, peripheral lung cancer and others. PDT can be used for non-malignant cases such as occlusion of blood vessels, for example, we invented the treatment of port wine stains by PDT. Regular surgical operation combined with PDT for cerebral glioma showed to be a very good combination. HpD has been approved by the Chinese Government as a photosensitizer, so it is legal to be used in PDT. There are some second generation photosensitizers under studying in China, such as Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) etc. Lasers used for PDT now are mostly the diode laser of 630nm for the cancers. Research studies for PDT in China may be focalized on the aspects as new photosensitizers; the dosimetry in laser irradiation; atoptosis induced by PDT; preclinical and clinical studies for PDT new indications and new technologies.