Fotodynamisk terapi vid behandling av skivepitelskarcinom hos katt
Photodynamic therapy is a relatively new treatment for superficial squamous cell
carcinoma in cats. There are no publications indicating that the method is being
used in veterinary practice in Sweden at the present time. The method uses the
interaction between a photosensitive agent which has been administered to the
tumor area, light of a wavelength that can be absorbed by the photosensitiser and
the presence of oxygen. In this study photodynamic treatments were performed at
the Queen?s Veterinary School Hopital of Cambridge University between 1998
and 2002. By interviewing the owner and/or the referring veterinarian in addition
to reading the file copy of 25 cats which were diagnosed by histopathology with
squamous cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma-in-situ, a statistic analyse
has been carried out to evaluate the long time outcome of the treatment, which
demonstrates encouraging results. The study indicates that photodynamic therapy
can be a useful method for early stage squamous cell carcinoma. A questionmark is
being raised to whether a few repeated sessions of photodynamic therapy could
help to decrease the common recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma that
normally carries a guarded prognosis.