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Shedding a Different Light on Skin Disease

Harvey Lui, MD, FRCPC; R. Rox Anderson, MD

Arch Dermatol. 1992;128(12):1631-1636.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To most dermatologists, the concept of photodynamic therapy (PDT) is synonymous with the use of porphyrins such as Photofrin (Quadra Logic Technologies Inc, Vancouver, British Columbia) in combination with laser light for treating cutaneous malignancies. In broader terms, PDT encompasses the therapeutic use of photochemical reactions mediated through the interaction of light, photosensitizing drugs, and oxygen. Thus, psoralen-ultraviolet A light treatment may represent a form of PDT in the sense that oxygen-consuming photoreactions may be involved in this form of phototherapy.¹ As psoralen-ultraviolet A light treatment is already a familiar and wellestablished form of phototherapy, it will not be discussed further here. With the recent introduction of second generation PDT photosensitizing drugs into clinical trials and the application of PDT for nononcologic indications, it now seems appropriate to review the current and potential roles of PDT in dermatologic practice.

See also p 1597.

Most patients undergoing PDT have been . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Division of Dermatology University of British Columbia 855 W 10th Ave Vancouver, British Columbia Canada V5Z 1L7; Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine Department of Dermatology Massachusetts General Hospital Fruit Street Boston, MA 02114

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