Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
An In-House-Built and Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Photodynamic Therapy Device for Enhancing Verteporfin Cytotoxicity in a 2D Cell Culture Model
Published on: January 13, 2023
Photodynamic therapy for choroidal metastasis from carcinoid tumor
1Ocular Oncology Service, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri 63110, USA. harbour@vision.wustl.edu
Purpose:
To determine the efficacy of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of a choroidal metastasis unresponsive to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Design:
Interventional case report.
Methods:
Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin was performed. Visual acuity, local tumor control, and complications were assessed.
Results:
A 72-year-old woman was diagnosed with bilateral, biopsy-proven choroidal metastasis from a pulmonary carcinoid tumor that was resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The tumor in the left eye caused a retinal detachment and vision loss to light perception. The smaller lesion in the right eye progressively enlarged toward the fovea despite therapy and was treated with photodynamic therapy with verteporfin. Within 2 months, the exudative detachment resolved, the visual acuity returned to baseline, and the tumor volume decreased by 50%.
Conclusion:
Photodynamic therapy may be an effective treatment option for selected patients with choroidal metastasis.
