This article is dedicated to current research of domestic photosensitizers of different classes carried out by Hertzen Moscow Cancer Research Institute. Results of research in tissue distribution kinetics of Photogem, Photosense, Chlorine e6 based photosensitizers and 5-ALA induced protoporphyrine IX (PPIX) in cancer patients are represented. These results have been used for development of medical techniques in fluorescence diagnostics (FD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). This article summarizes Hertzen Moscow Cancer Research Institute results of 20 years experience of PD and PDT in patients with different cancer diseases. The most recent data on the efficacy of radical and palliative PDT, anti-relapse intra-operative PDT, prolonged PDT, and PDT combined with chemotherapy are given. Data on sensitivity and specificity of FD in patients with different tumor localizations are represented. The author outlines achievements and challenges of novel FD and PDT methods in clinical practice and defines the main directions of the further FD and PDT development.

This article is dedicated to clinical experience of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in Medical Radiological Research Center. Authors represent the results of treatment in 156 patients with primary untreated tumors of different localizations as follows: basal cell skin cancer (BCSC) in 156 patients, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (SCCS) in 24 patients, cancer of upper and lower lips in 30 patients. The other group of patients included recurrent and metastatic diseases: recurrent BCSC were in 127 patients, recurrent or continued growth of SCCS – in 27, recurrent or continued growth of lip cancer – in 13, intracutaneous metastases of skin melanoma (62 patients) and breast cancer (46) – in 108. PDT was performed with photosensitizers Photosense (2.0 mg/kg), Photolon (0.9–2.5 mg/kg), and Photoditazine (0.7–0.8 mg/kg). The light irradiation dose was 100–600 J/cm2. After PDT of previously untreated BCSC the complete regression (CR) of tumor lesions was in 96.8% of patients, partial regression (PR) – in 3.2% of patients; for PDT of recurrent BCSC in 76.4% and 23.6%, respectively. After PDT treatment in patients with previously untreated SCCS CR of tumor lesions was achieved in 91.7% of patients, PR – in 8.3% of patients. For treatment of relapses in SCCS CR was achieved in 59.3% of cases, PR – in 33.3%, absence of regression was reported in 7.4% of cases. PDT of intracutaneous metastases of skin melanoma and breast cancer provided positive treatment effect (CR + PR + stabilizing) in 95 and 98% of cases, respectively. CR in primary lip cancer after PDT was reported in 86.0% of patients, PR – in 14.0%. For PDT of recurrent lip cancer CR accounted for 69.2%, PR – 30.8%.