ABSTRACT
Carcinoma of the lung now represents the leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women and, since 1986, has surpassed breast cancer as the single most common malignancy in women. Although the incidence of endobronchial occlusive disease is not clearly reported in the literature, some of the more common clinical manifestations of lung cancer result from central airway involvement with tumor. The goals for palliation of endobronchial tumors are prevention of progressive airway obstruction, improvement of obstructive pneumonitis, correction of cough or hemoptysis, and relief of dyspnea. At Roswell Park Cancer Institute, three techniques for photodynamic therapy are available: the surface technique for small superficial lesions; the intraluminal technique for tumors involving larger areas of bronchial circumference or length; and the interstitial (I) technique for bulky tumors. Photodynamic therapy is an effective therapy for endobronchial tumors as a single agent in patients who have failed or refuse other forms of treatment for lung cancer.
