Clinical Trials of a New Chlorin Photosensitizer for Photodynamic Therapy of Malignant Tumors

Privalov V.A., Lappa A.V., Seliverstov O.V., Faizrakhmanov A.B.,Yarovoy N.N., Kochneva E.V., Evnevich M.V., Anikina A.S., Reshetnicov A.V., Zalevsky I.D., Kemov Y.V.

Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XI: Proceedings of SPIE; T.J. Dougherty, Ed. 2002, Vol. 4612. P.178-190.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) was performed with a new photosensitizer, a water soluble form of chlorins (Radachlorin, Russia) possessing an absorption peak around 662 nm. As light source there was used the diode laser (ML-662-SP, Russia) with 662 nm wavelength and 2.5 W optical power. The sensitizer had passed broad pre-clinical in vitro and in vivo studies, which showed safety and efficiency of it. PDT was applied to 51 patients with basal cell cancer of the skin (about 60% of all cases), breast cancer, lip cancer, melanoma, cancer of esophagus, stomach, and rectum, cancer and leucoplacia of vulva, malignant ganglioneuroma, sarcoma of soft tissue, cancer and reticular sarcoma of thyroid gland, cancer of ductus choledochus. Most of non-basalioma patients had either forth stage or recurrence of disease. The sensitizer was injected intravenously or applied externally (Radachlorin gel). There were used surface, endoscopic, and interstitial ways of irradiation. Full tumor regression with excellent cosmetic effect was reached in 100% cases of 1-3 stage basal cell cancer patients treated with intravenous Radachlorin injection. In most other (non-basalioma) cases significant regression of tumors and improvement of life quality of patients (recanalization and regain of conductivity) was obtained.