Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy (2006) 3, 17
INVITED COMMENTARY
Salvage photodynamic therapy A new application for esophageal cancer? Treatment of esophageal cancer is based on a multimodality approach. Surgical resection of the tumor with or without adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation as an alternative to surgery. Photodynamic therapy has become an important modality in the treatment of esophageal cancer in two distinct clinical situations. First, palliation of dysphagia in patients who are unfit for surgery either due to advanced disease or significant co-morbidity. Second, a potential substitute for esophagectomy in case of early disease such as intramucosal cancer or high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus. Wolfsen and Hemminger have suggested another application of PDT: a salvage treatment for per-
DOIs of related articles:10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00002-0, 10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00003-2, 10.1016/S1572-1000(06) 00004-4. 1572-1000/$ — see front matter © 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00005-6
sistent esophageal cancer after chemoradiation. Although they report a small series of seven patients, the five patients with Barrett’s carcinoma were disease-free after a mean follow-up of 30 months. Further investigations should address the question whether photodynamic therapy has a new role as a part of multimodality approach in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Hanoch Kashtan MD Department of Surgery, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel E-mail address: [email protected]
INVITED COMMENTARY
Salvage photodynamic therapy A new application for esophageal cancer? Treatment of esophageal cancer is based on a multimodality approach. Surgical resection of the tumor with or without adjuvant or neoadjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation as an alternative to surgery. Photodynamic therapy has become an important modality in the treatment of esophageal cancer in two distinct clinical situations. First, palliation of dysphagia in patients who are unfit for surgery either due to advanced disease or significant co-morbidity. Second, a potential substitute for esophagectomy in case of early disease such as intramucosal cancer or high-grade dysplasia in Barrett’s esophagus. Wolfsen and Hemminger have suggested another application of PDT: a salvage treatment for per-
DOIs of related articles:10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00002-0, 10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00003-2, 10.1016/S1572-1000(06) 00004-4. 1572-1000/$ — see front matter © 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V. doi:10.1016/S1572-1000(06)00005-6
sistent esophageal cancer after chemoradiation. Although they report a small series of seven patients, the five patients with Barrett’s carcinoma were disease-free after a mean follow-up of 30 months. Further investigations should address the question whether photodynamic therapy has a new role as a part of multimodality approach in the treatment of esophageal cancer.
Hanoch Kashtan MD Department of Surgery, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel E-mail address: [email protected]
