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Photodynamic therapy as an adjuvant intraoperative treatment of recurrent head and neck carcinomas
1Minneapolis Ear, Nose, and Throat Clinic, Minn, USA.
Objective:
To demonstrate the feasibility of adjuvant intraoperative photodynamic therapy in the treatment of large, infiltrating, recurrent carcinomas of the head and neck.
Design:
A nonrandomized trial involving 5 patients treated with intraoperative adjuvant photodynamic therapy with 29-month follow-up.
Setting:
A tertiary care referral center in a private practice setting.
Patients:
Five patients with massive, recurrent, infiltrating squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck and skull base.
Intervention:
Photodynamic therapy was used as an adjuvant intraoperative treatment after resection of tumors.
Main Outcome Measure:
Time of survival after treatment without recurrence of disease.
Results:
Four of the 5 patients have remained free of recurrent disease without complications up to 24 months after treatment.
Conclusion:
Adjuvant intraoperative photodynamic therapy may improve cure rates in patients with recurrent head and neck malignancies by providing larger tumor-free margins of resection, while preserving normal structures.