Photodynamic therapy (PDT) can aid in the treatment of advanced and recurrent tongue base carcinoma, according to a study in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine (April 2011, Vol. 43:4, pp. 283-92).
Researchers from the University College London Eastman Dental Institute and Medical School evaluated the outcome of ultrasound-guided interstitial PDT in 21 patients with stage IV tongue base carcinoma. Patients' reports on quality of life with clinical and radiological evaluation were the main end point parameters.
The patients were referred to the University College of London Hospitals Head and Neck Centre for treatment of advanced and/or recurrent tongue base cancer. Two-thirds had not been offered further conventional therapeutic options apart from palliative treatment, and the research team decided that the only available option was to offer ultrasound-guided interstitial PDT under general anesthesia. Following treatment, patients were followed up for a mean of 36 months.
Nine of the 11 patients who originally presented with breathing problems reported improvement after treatment, 19 of the 21 patients reported improvement in swallowing, and 11 of 13 patients reported improvement in speech, the researchers noted. Clinical assessment showed that more than half of the patients had "good response" to the treatment and about a third reported "moderate response."
Radiological assessment comparing imaging six-week post-PDT with the baseline showed stable pathology with no change in size in four patients, minimal response in seven patients, moderate response in six patients, and significant response in two patients. Eight patients died.
"Photodynamic therapy is a successful palliative modality in the treatment of advanced and/or recurrent tongue base carcinoma," the researchers concluded.
