Determination of optical properties, drug concentration, and tissue oxygenation in human pleural tissue before and after Photofrin-mediated photodynamic therapy.

PDT efficacy depends on the concentration of photosensitizer, oxygen, and light delivery in patient tissues. In this study, we measure the in-vivo distribution of important dosimetric parameters, namely the tissue optical properties (absorption () and scattering ' () coefficients), photofrin concentration (), blood oxygen saturation (%SO), and total hemoglobin concentration (THC), before and after PDT. We characterize the inter- and intra-patient heterogeneity of these quantities and explore how these properties change as a result of PDT treatment. The result suggests the need for real-time dosimetry during PDT to optimize the treatment condition depending on the optical and physiological properties.