Photodynamic therapy with light emitting fabrics: a review

Photodynamic therapy is a powerful tool in the localized and selective treatment of dermatologic diseases, such as actinic keratosis, acne vulgaris, Bowen's disease and basal cell carcinoma. The success of photodynamic therapy is mainly attributed to the development of flexible light sources for homogenous and reproducible illumination during clinical studies. The essential requirement for this therapy includes, a suitable photosensitizer, presence of oxygen and a light of specific wavelength and intensity. The use of light emitting fabric comprising of optical fibers provides an exciting and an efficient way to transfer light directly to the skin uniformly on the infected body parts. As the optical fibers can transmit light from 400 to 1200 nm it is possible to combine light emitting fabric with laser sources for medical applications. This review focusses on the challenges and recent developments in the use of light emitting fabric for photodynamic therapy in clinical studies and its future perspectives.