MR and CT based treatment planning for mTHPC mediated interstitial photodynamic therapy of head and neck cancer: description of the method.

Background And Objective: Interstitial photodynamic therapy is a potentially important tool in the management of voluminous or deep-seated recurrent head and neck cancers.

Study Design/methods: The described treatment algorithm in this manuscript consists of the treatment simulation, implantation of light sources, verification, modification of the treatment plan if necessary, and illumination. The tumor is delineated on imaging sections (CT, MRI, and/or PET/CT) and the treatment is simulated by virtually introducing light sources to the tumor volume on specially modified brachytherapy software.

mTHPC mediated interstitial photodynamic therapy of recurrent nonmetastatic base of tongue cancers: Development of a new method.

Background: Interstitial photodynamic therapy (iPDT) can be an option in the management of locally recurrent base of tongue cancer after (chemo)radiation treatment. The purpose of the current study was to develop a technique to implant light sources into the tumor tissue.

Methods: Twenty patients with previously irradiated locally recurrent base of tongue cancers who were not candidates for salvage surgery or reirradiation or refused these therapies were included in this study.

Optical biopsy of breast tissue using differential path-length spectroscopy.

Differential path-length spectroscopy (DPS) was used to determine the local optical properties of breast tissue in vivo. DPS measurements were made on healthy and malignant breast tissue using a fibre-optic needle probe, and were correlated to the histological outcome of core-needle biopsies taken from the same location as the measurements. DPS yields information on the local tissue blood content, the local blood oxygenation, the average micro-vessel diameter, the beta-carotene concentration and the scatter slope.

Performance assessment of photon migration instruments: the MEDPHOT protocol.

We propose a comprehensive protocol for the performance assessment of photon migration instruments. The protocol has been developed within the European Thematic Network MEDPHOT (optical methods for medical diagnosis and monitoring of diseases) and is based on five criteria: accuracy, linearity, noise, stability, and reproducibility. This protocol was applied to a total of 8 instruments with a set of 32 phantoms, covering a wide range of optical properties.

In situ light dosimetry during photodynamic therapy of Barrett's esophagus with 5-aminolevulinic acid.

Background And Objectives: Previous studies with PhotoDynamic Therapy (PDT) in bladder and bronchi have shown that due to scattering and reflection, the actually delivered fluence rate on the surface in a hollow organ can be significantly higher than expected. In this pilot study, we investigated the differences between the primary calculated and the actual measured fluence rate during PDT of Barrett's Esophagus (BE) using 23 independent clinical measurements in 15 patients.

Study Design/materials And Methods: A KTP-dye module laser at 630 nm was used as light source.