BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) mediated with Tookad (Pd-bacteriopheophorbide, WST09) was investigated pre-clinically as part of a program to develop an alternative modality for treating prostate cancer. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: Spontaneous canine prostate cancer and normal canine prostate were used as the animal models. Interstitial PDT was performed by IV infusion of the photosensitizer and irradiating the prostates with a diode laser (763 nm). The prostates were harvested 1-week post-PDT and subjected to histopathologic examinations. The effects of the drug doses and light doses were studied for one- and two-session PDT. Pharmacokinetics were studied using HPLC assay. The feasibility of using perfusing CT scans for assessing PDT lesions was also evaluated. RESULTS: Tookad is a vascular-acting drug and clears rapidly from the circulation. Tookad-PDT-induced lesions, in both normal and cancerous prostates, were characterized by marked hemorrhagic necrosis. CONCLUSIONS: Tookad-PDT is very effective in ablating prostatic tissue through its vascular effects.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Huang et al. (2005) studied this question.