Fiberoptic bronchoscopic photoradiation in experimentally induced canine lung cancer

The potential of diagnostic and therapeutic applications of a system using hematoporphyrin derivative (HpD) and laser photoradiation for the localization and treatment of canine lung cancer experimentally induced in the bronchi was studied. Seven cases of canine invasive squamous cell carcinoma were used in this experiment. A dose of 2.5-3.0 mg/kg body weight HpD was administered intravenously in each dog forty-eight hours prior to examination for fluorescence. The violet light source was a krypton ion laser beam. The beam was transmitted via a quartz fiber inserted through the fiberoptic bronchoscope, and an image intensifier was used to detect the fluorescence from the bronchial foci. An argon dye laser was used for treatment of the foci with red light. Six of seven dogs with squamous cell carcinoma revealed fluorescence at the foci. Conversely, the bronchi of controls, consisting of normal dogs, showed no fluorescence. Three dogs with squamous cell carcinoma received treatment. The therapeutic system consisted of photoradiation with an argon dye laser beam also transmitted via a quartz fiber inserted through the fiberoptic bronchoscope and a dose of 2.5-3.0 mg/kg body weight HpD was administered intravenously 72 hours before the procedure. All carcinoma cases showed complete responses.