Photodynamic therapy in gynaecologic cancer

We started photodynamic therapy in gynaecologic tumors in 1988. Seven patients with endometrial carcinomas stage FIGO 1a (restricted to the endometrium) were treated primarily and also 4 patients with recurrences of vaginal and vault cervix carcinoma, carcinoma of the corpus uteri and the vulva. Residual tumors after conventional therapy of cervix and vulvar carcinoma were treated in 2 patients. Tumor illumination was performed by an Argon dye laser 24-72 h following the intravenous administration of haematoporphyrin derivatives (HPD) (Photosan III, 2 mg kg-1 body weight). The intracavitary tumor irradiation by means of a glass fibre was controlled by ultrasound. Superficial and small lesions of vaginal and vulvar carcinomas were subjected to superficial light irradiation; whereas tumors exceeding 1 cm in depth were treated interstitially. Tumor response was estimated 1 month after therapy. Complete remission was achieved in 8 patients, partial remission in 2, and no remission in 3 cases. Subsequent radiotherapy was performed in 3 patients with bleeding endometrial cancer with consecutive complete response.