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Photodynamic therapy with meta-tetrahydroxyphenylchlorin for basal cell carcinoma: a phase I/II study
P Baas1, A E Saarnak, H Oppelaar
1Division of Medical Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands. baas@nki.nl
Background:
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a convenient and effective method of treating small superficial tumours. New second-generation photosensitizers offer some advantages over first-generation sensitizers such as haematoporphyrin derivatives.
Objectives:
To define the optimal treatment parameters (drug dose, light dose and time interval) using meta-tetrahydroxyphenylchlorin (mTHPC) as a photosensitizer in patients with multiple basal cell carcinomas (BCCs).
Methods:
Light of 652 nm (100 mW cm(-2)) was used for illuminating different tumours (n = 187) with light doses of 5--15 J cm(-2). Following an intravenous injection of 0.1 mg kg(-1) mTHPC each patient (n = 5) was illuminated on 4 consecutive days. Each day at least three BCCs per patient were treated with PDT.
Results:
Response evaluation at 6, 12 and 18 months showed maximum responses for illumination with 10 or 15 J cm(-2) on days 1 or 2 after injection (86% complete responses). Normal tissue reactions (oedema and erythema) around the treatment site were more severe on day 1 than after longer intervals.
Conclusions:
mTHPC is a very effective photosensitizer; short illumination times can result in long-term cures with good cosmetic healing and with skin phototoxicity of short duration.