Objective: Pc 4, a phthalocyanine photosensitizer in Phase I photodynamic therapy (PDT) trials, requires laser activation near 672 nm. For effective PDT, photosensitizer must be present in the target tissues. OPS uses elastic scattering spectroscopy to measure Pc 4 optical absorption non-invasively, and that absorbance can be converted to concentration using Pc 4 standard curves in 1% Intralipid®. In this study, we used OPS to evaluate Pc 4 optical absorption with time in subcutaneous tumor (with or without laser activation) and in contralateral skin. Tumor response was also evaluated after Pc 4-PDT. Conclusions: Both Pc 4 and hemoglobin optical absorption could be monitored by OPS. The decrease of Pc 4 absorption after PDT and the appearance of d-hbg indicated that alterations occurred in the tumor following Pc 4-PDT. The increase in d-hbg suggests that oxygen was not replaced completely, possibly due to circulation damage in tumor.

Date Published: 26 October 2007
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 6796, Photonics North 2007, 67960L (26 October 2007); doi: 10.1117/12.778081

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 6796:
Photonics North 2007
John Armitage, Editor(s)