Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the generation of highly reactive singlet oxygen through interactions of photosensitizer, light and molecular oxygen. PDT has become a clinically approved, minimally invasive therapeutic modality for a wide variety of malignant and nonmalignant diseases. The main dosimetric parameters for predicting the PDT efficacy include the delivered light dose, the quantification and photobleaching of the administrated photosensitizer, the tissue oxygen concentration, the amount of singlet oxygen generation and the resulting biological responses. This review article presents the emerging optical techniques that in use or under development for monitoring dosimetric parameters during PDT treatment. Moreover, the main challenges in developing real-time and noninvasive optical techniques for monitoring dosimetric parameters in PDT will be described.

Date Published: 11 December 2012
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 8553, Optics in Health Care and Biomedical Optics V, 85530F (11 December 2012); doi: 10.1117/12.2001727

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 8553:
Optics in Health Care and Biomedical Optics V
Qingming Luo; Ying Gu; Xingde D. Li, Editor(s)