Photodynamic therapy of malignant ovarian tumours cultivated on CAM

The disappointing results with either surgery alone and/or chemotherapy in the treatment of malignant ovarian tumours have led to an increased interes t in additional treatment schedules. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), a modality involving the use of a photosensitising drug and activating light, is bein g used increasingly as a local treatment for neoplastic lesions. The synthe sis and evaluation of new photosensitisers for the treatment of gynaecologi cal lesions and malignancies continues to be an active area of investigatio n for proper application of the photodynamic process in the gynaecological field. The effect of PDT using methylene blue (free and combined with lipos omes) as a photosensitiser for treating human ovarian malignant tumours cul tivated on the chorioallantoic membrane was evaluated. Two days after PDT, the treated implanted tumours were markedly decreased in size. Areas of nec rosis with black coloration, dryness and eschar formation were observed. Fi ve days after PDT, tumour remission was clearly observed in all the treated tumours. Photodynamic therapy using methylene blue (aqueous and coupled wi th liposomes) is effective for treating the ovarian malignancies and it wil l be capable of achieving complete eradication of visible tumours in patien ts with superficial lesions.