Photodynamic Therapy for Recurrent Early Central Lung Cancer of Great Longitudinal Extent Following Two Surgical Lung Resections: A Case Report

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an endobronchial treatment requiring a photosensitizer activated by a specific wavelength light to kill tumor cells. PDT is effective in treating early central lung cancer (ECLC) ,especially for lesions <1.0 cm in length. We present a patient with history of two lung resections for squamous cell carcinoma, who had unresectable ECLC lesions (4.0 - 5.0 cm in length) treated by PDTs successfully without other modalities, such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy. After sequential PDTs, the patient achieved complete response for 2 months and partial response for 16 months, with greatly improved quality of life, despite mild skin photosensitization and acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. There was no evidence of metastasis during standard evaluation. As it was less-invasive and highly targeted, PDT might be a relatively safe and effective alternative therapy for ECLC lesions unsuitable for surgery, even lesions longer than 1.0 cm.