Bone Cancer Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Cancer, including details on symptoms, types, treatment.

Photodynamic therapy for the treatment of metastatic lesions in bone: studies in rat and porcine models.

Burch S, Bogaards A, Siewerdsen J, Moseley D, Yee A, Finkelstein J, Weersink R, Wilson BC, Bisland SK

Ontario Cancer Institute, University Health Network, 610 University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5G 2M9.

This study represents the first reported use of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for metastatic bone lesions and specifically, as a treatment for spinal metastases. A model of bone metastasis in rat confirmed the efficacy of benzoporphyrin derivative-monoacid-mediated PDT for treating lesions within the spine and appendicular bone. Fluorimetry confirmed the selective accumulation of drug into the tumor(s) at 3 h post-injection. 48 h post-light delivery into the vertebral body of the rat spine loss of bioluminescent signal and histological analyses of sectioned spine confirmed MT-1 tumor cell kill in vivo as previously confirmed in vitro using an established cell viability assay. Porcine vertebrae provided a model comparable to that of human for light propagation and PDT response. Histological examination of vertebrae 48 h post-PDT revealed a necrotic radius of 0.6 cm with an average fluence rate of 4.3 mW/cm2. Non-necrotic tissue damage was evident up to 2 cm out from the treatment fiber. Results support the application of PDT to the treatment of primary or metastatic lesions within bone.

Published 18 October 2005 in J Biomed Opt, 10(3): 034011.
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