Photodynamic laser therapy effective for early-stage oral cancers

Detroit, MI--Researchers from the Henry Ford Health System have reported that Photofrin (porfimer sodium)-mediated photodynamic laser therapy is effective for treating early-stage squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity and oropharynx.

This study included 30 patients with early-stage oral cavity or oropharynx squamous cell carcinomas who were not deemed suitable for standard therapies or who had failed conventional therapy. All received Photofrin, which is a mixture of eight porphyrin units linked by oligomers, followed in 48 to 60 hours with laser therapy. The complete remission rate was 80% with a partial remission rate of 20%. Eleven of 24 patients who achieved a complete response remained free of disease at two years. Partial remission lasted up to 26 months.

The details of this study appeared in the January 2010 issue of Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.