INTRAOPERATIVE PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF RECURRENCE OF LOCALLY ADVANCED SKIN CANCER BY HALF

According to statistics, in the Russian Federation in 2023, more than 91 thousand new cases of skin cancer were detected, and in 2024 – already 94.5. This disease came out on top in terms of morbidity in the country. It is characterized by a significant number of primary multiple forms and a high recurrence rate.

“We often receive patients who have already been treated several times – surgical, radiation and other types of therapy. As a result of such interventions, scars, sutures arise and clear boundaries of the tumor focus are erased, which complicates diagnosis and treatment, “says the oncologist and plastic surgeon of  P. Hertsen Moscow Oncology Research Institute (MORI) – branch of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre (NMRRC) of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, Eldar Nimatov, who is involved in monitoring a control group of 120 patients operated on in the department of head and neck microsurgery.

As part of the study, the condition of two groups of equal numbers (60 people each) was analyzed. In the main group, surgical treatment was supplemented with intraoperative photodynamic therapy (PDT), while in the second group, only surgery was used. The combined approach in the first group demonstrated a significant reduction in the number of relapses and an increase in the duration of remission.

“The use of sensitizers, on which the principle of action of PDT is based, directly during surgery can halve the risk of recurrence and significantly extend the period without progression of the disease,” said the head of the microsurgery department, Professor Andrei Polyakov.

The procedure is based on the use of the Russian drug “Photosens,” which allows you to visualize the boundaries of the tumor focus in real time. This makes it possible to supplement the surgical intervention with local laser radiation with low phototoxicity for the surrounding tissues.

It should be noted that the intraoperative PDT technique for locally advanced skin cancer is patented by the team of the National Medical Research Radiological Centre (NMRRC) of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and can be put into practice by regional cancer centers with appropriate equipment and qualified specialists.