Treatment of murine intraperitoneal ovarian ascitic tumor with hematoporphyrin derivative and laser light.

An ascitic murine tumor, ovarian embryonal carcinoma, was used as a model of human ovarian carcinoma restricted to the peritoneum. The tumor was treated with a combination of hematoporphyrin derivative (HPD) and i.p. 514-nm laser light. Mice were given injections of 2 X 10(5) tumor cells, and by 9 days, there were 2 to 4 g of ascitic tumor/mouse. On Day 9, mice (68) were treated as follows: (12) no treatment; (12) only HPD (50 mg/kg i.p.); (12) laser only (9.6 J for 16 min); and (32) HPD (50 mg/kg i.p.) and 2 h later, laser treatment. On Day 15, a second treatment with HPD and laser was given to 15 mice. All mice not receiving HPD-laser treatment died between Days 20 and 23. The response rate as determined by decrease in weight and abdominal size for HPD-laser-treated mice was 90%, but the response was short, and all but one animal died by Day 34. However, 6 of 15 of the twice-treated group are alive at 90 days and considered cured. Photoradiotherapy with HPD for i.p. ascitic tumors appears to have promise as a treatment modality.