A Novel Prospective Study Assessing the Combination of Photodynamic Therapy and Proton Radiation Therapy: Safety and Outcomes When Treating Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma remains difficult to treat, with high failure rates despite optimal therapy. We present a novel prospective trial combining proton therapy (PT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) and the largest-ever mesothelioma PT experience (n = 10). PDT photosensitizers included porfimer sodium (2 mg·kg ; 24 h drug-light interval) or 2-[1-hexyloxyethyl]-2-devinyl pyropheophorbide-a (HPPH) (4 mg·m ;48 h) with wavelengths of 630 nm to 60J·cm and 665 nm to 15-45J·cm , respectively.

State of dose prescription and compliance to international standard (ICRU-83) in intensity modulated radiation therapy among academic institutions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate dose prescription and recording compliance to international standard (International Commission on Radiation Units & Measurements [ICRU]-83) in patients treated with intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) among academic institutions.

Methods And Materials: Ten institutions participated in this study to collect IMRT data to evaluate compliance to ICRU-83. Under institutional review board clearance, data from 5094 patients-including treatment site, technique, planner, physician, prescribed dose, target volume, monitor units, planning system, and dose calculation algorithm-were collected anonymously.

Deformable medical image registration of pleural cavity for photodynamic therapy by using finite-element based method.

When the pleural cavity is opened during the surgery portion of pleural photodynamic therapy (PDT) of malignant mesothelioma, the pleural volume will deform. This impacts the delivered dose when using highly conformal treatment techniques. To track the anatomical changes and contour the lung and chest cavity, an infrared camera-based navigation system (NDI) is used during PDT.

Interference with the Jaffé method for creatinine following 5-aminolevulinic acid administration.

Background: The photosensitizer pro-drug 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) has been administered systemically for photodynamic therapy. Although several toxicities have been reported, nephrotoxicity has never been observed.

Materials And Methods: Patients with head and neck mucosal dysplasia have been treated on a phase 1 study of escalating light doses in combination with 60mg/kg of oral 5-ALA.

Targeted laryngeal photodynamic therapy with a balloon diffusing light source.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been used for pre-malignant mucosal lesions. In an attempt to treat a patient with recurrent high-grade dysplasia of the glottic larynx, we were faced with technical challenges leading us to abandon the classic microlens fiber for a 2-cm long translucent diffusing balloon catheter to deliver photoactivating light to the targeted lesion. Real-time measurements confirmed stable photobleaching with augmentation of the prescribed light fluence secondary to light scatter in regions not in contact with the balloon diffuser.

The ratio of the spherical and flat Detectors at tissue surfaces during pleural photodynamic therapy.

An isotropic detector-based system was compared with a flat photodiode-based system in patients undergoing pleural photodynamic therapy. Isotropic and flat detectors were placed side by side in the chest cavity, for simultaneous dosimetry at surface locations for twelve patients. The treatment used 630nm laser to a total light irradiance of 30 J/cm (measured with the flat photodiodes) with photofrin® IV as the photosensitizer.