Photodynamic therapy of premalignant lesions and local recurrence of laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancers

The main advantage of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in laryngology seems to be its non-invasiveness. and the possibility of using it despite previous app lication of conventional methods. In the study, we gave PDT to two separate groups of patients, i.e. five patients with advanced tumour (four of them with local recurrence (squamous cell carcinoma) after surgery and radiother apy and one with a primary hypopharyngeal tumour) and five patients with le ucoplakia. In the first group delta -aminolae-vulinic acid (ALA) was admini stered orally (dose 3 g), while in the second, an ointment containing 10% A LA was applied locally. In both groups prior to irradiation, the tissue lev el of protoporphyrin IX was verified using an adapted Xillix Life instrumen t. All treated lesions were irradiated with an argon-pumped dye laser (dose range 100-250 J/cm(2), wavelength 635 nm). In the first group, partial res ponse was obtained. In these advanced cases, diminution of cancerous ulcera tions was observed. In the leucoplakia group, complete response was achieve d in four out of five treated patients. On the basis of our preliminary res ults, PDT may be useful in eradicating premalignant lesions of the oral cav ity and in the palliation of advanced lesions of the oropharynx and larynx.