Photodynamic therapy and diagnosis for non-melanoma skin tumours

Overview

The incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer has increased in recent years. Its early diagnosis and treatment has, therefore, been subjected to greater attention. The following article reports on one of the new therapeutic and diagnostic methods, namely photodynamic therapy and diagnostics (PDT, PDD), which enhance the dermatologists therapeutic options. It is a relatively selective method for treating cancer that meets one of the basic goals of tumour treatment: it targets cancerous cells only, causing minimum damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Although photodynamic therapy is now established in the Czech Republic, it is fairly controversial due to the expense of the associated photosensitizers and light source equipment.

Keywords:
photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer, non-melanoma skin cancer.