Abstract
Background: An increasing number of patients seek complementary therapies for cancer treatment, the leading cause of death in the developed world. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), the combination of light and a photosensitiser agent, has provided some promising results in cancer therapy. New photosensitiser agents are continuously being developed to improve tolerability and effectiveness. There is a need to objectively evaluate clinical data from PDT patients.Methods: Here we report a case series using the new sublingually administered, chlorophyll-based photosensitiser Photosoft®E4 and an external laser light in a group of ten adult cancer patients not undergoing other concurrent therapies. PDT was administered for three treatment cycles with an average of 14 light treatments per patient, consisting of agent administration and laser treatment on alternate days over 3 months. Safety, tolerability and effectiveness on tumour palliation were monitored. Results: Patients in this study presented with a variety of cancer types and stages; half of the patients had breast cancer, and 40% had metastases. We found Photosoft®E4 to be safe and highly tolerable. However, overall disease status was not improved in our group of patients. Conclusions: Future research is required to determine the bioavailability of Photosoft®E4 and its uptake in tumour tissue, pharmacokinetics and dosing regimen, as well as the best mode of light delivery for the in vivo sensitiser activation.
Highlights
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the Western world, accounting for 13% of all deaths worldwide, and about three in ten deaths in Australia[1,2]
Other types of cancers treated with Photodynamic therapy (PDT) such as head and neck cancer showed an 89% 5-year survival rate for superficial cancers, compared with 75% using conventional therapies alone[1,9,10]
The protocol for the photodynamic therapy used in this trial as well as in clinical settings by others previously provided no benefit to Author contributions AS conceptualised the study, secured support, and developed study design with contributions from all authors
Summary
Cancer is the leading cause of death in the Western world, accounting for 13% of all deaths worldwide, and about three in ten deaths in Australia[1,2]. A systematic review of the effect of PDT-alone or in conjunction with conventional therapy-on patients with non-small cell lung carcinoma, showed a response rate of 30.8–84.8% on mainly inoperable disease, with a 5-year survival rate of 43.4–72%, a considerable improvement to the survival rate of 15–35% for inoperable and metastasised cancers using conventional treatment alone[8]. An increasing number of patients seek complementary therapies for cancer treatment, the leading cause of death in the developed world. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), the combination of light and a photosensitiser agent, has provided some promising results in cancer therapy. Methods: Here we report a case series using the new sublingually administered, chlorophyll-based photosensitiser Photosoft®E4 and an external laser light in a group of ten adult cancer patients not undergoing other concurrent therapies. Conclusions: Future research is required to determine the bioavailability of Photosoft®E4 and its uptake in tumour tissue, pharmacokinetics and dosing regimen, as well as the best mode of light delivery for the in vivo sensitiser activation
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