Photodynamic therapy of non-melanoma skin cancers - development of a comprehensive image-guided planning system for personalized treatment

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

In Radiotherapy, dosimetry and treatment planning are highly advanced for ionizing radiation.**Radiation dose is accurately defined and the relationship between it and**clinical response is well understood. For photodynamic therapy (PDT), the definition of PDT**dose is unclear and how it correlates with clinical response has yet to be precisely defined.**Present-day clinical protocols for PDT of non-melenoma skin cancer (NMSC) are relatively**straight-forward: a photosensitizer is administered, a period of time elapses before shining**light and then light with a specific fluence rate illuminates the patient. The same protocol is**applied to an entire patient population and as a result, PDT of NMSC is conducted without**detailed customized planning that takes into account patient to patient variability as practiced**in radiotherapy. Our research goal is to work on in vivo measurement of optical properties and**functional parameters such as oxygen levels together with measuring the temporal and**spatial photosensitizer concentration uptake. With these quantitative metrics, the hope is that**we will be able to model and predict the response of individual patients to PDT.. Better**dosimetry will advance the development and utilization of PDT similar to radiation therapy**where the field is very quantitative and evidence-based. Ultimately patient-specific planning of**PDT treatment will increase NMSC clinical outcomes.