CQC - Coimbra Chemistry Center, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
Oncoimmunology. 2023 Jun 18;12(1):2226535. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2023.2226535. eCollection 2023.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a medical treatment used to target solid tumors, where the administration of a photosensitizing agent and light generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), thus resulting in strong oxidative stress that selectively damages the illuminated tissues. Several preclinical studies have demonstrated that PDT can prime the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells throughout the body. However, there is still limited evidence of PDT-mediated anti-tumor immunity in clinical settings. In the last decade, several clinical trials on PDT for cancer treatment have been initiated, indicating that significant efforts are being made to improve current PDT protocols. However, most of these studies disregarded the immunological dimension of PDT. The immunomodulatory properties of PDT can be combined with standard therapy and/or emerging immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint blockers (ICBs), to achieve better disease control. Combining PDT with immunotherapy has shown synergistic effects in some preclinical models. However, the value of this combination in patients is still unknown, as the first clinical trials evaluating the combination of PDT with ICBs are just being initiated. Overall, this Trial Watch provides a summary of recent clinical information on the immunomodulatory properties of PDT and ongoing clinical trials using PDT to treat cancer patients. It also discusses the future perspectives of PDT for oncological indications.
光动力疗法（PDT）是一种用于治疗实体瘤的医疗方法，通过给予光敏剂和光照产生活性氧（ROS），从而导致强烈的氧化应激，选择性地损伤被照射的组织。多项临床前研究表明，PDT 可以激活免疫系统，使其识别和攻击全身的癌细胞。然而，在临床环境中，PDT 介导的抗肿瘤免疫仍然缺乏证据。在过去的十年中，已经启动了几项关于 PDT 治疗癌症的临床试验，这表明正在做出重大努力来改进现有的 PDT 方案。然而，这些研究大多忽略了 PDT 的免疫学方面。PDT 的免疫调节特性可以与标准治疗和/或新兴的免疫疗法（如免疫检查点抑制剂（ICB））联合使用，以实现更好的疾病控制。在一些临床前模型中，PDT 与免疫疗法联合使用显示出协同作用。然而，这种联合治疗在患者中的价值尚不清楚，因为正在启动首批评估 PDT 联合 ICB 治疗的临床试验。总的来说，本试验观察提供了最近关于 PDT 的免疫调节特性的临床信息总结，并介绍了正在进行的使用 PDT 治疗癌症患者的临床试验。它还讨论了 PDT 在肿瘤学适应证中的未来前景。
