Role of Photodynamic Therapy in the Management of Advanced Esophageal Cancer

Abstract

Esophageal cancer usually presents at an advanced stage with dysphagia, and palliative therapy often is appropriate. Expandable metal stents are used for palliation because of their ease of insertion, but long-term complications remain common. Photodynamic therapy has been shown to be an effective ablative treatment for obstructing esophageal cancer, overall easier to use, and longer lasting than Nd:YAG laser ablation. Photodynamic therapy may be particularly useful in areas where stents may be problematic, such as in the upper esophagus, at the esophagogastric junction (where adenocarcinomas are increasing in frequency), and following radiation and chemotherapy.