Possibilities of intraluminal photodynamic therapy in oncology (review)

High incidence of inoperable tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system are required the palliative methods to restore the patency of these organs. There is also a need in case of endoscopic treatment for the I stage tumors is not possible. Photodynamic therapy is a promising method for the treatment of esophageal cancer and non-small cell lung cancer; however, despite this fact, it is still not widely used worldwide. In this article based on the literature data we review the effectiveness, safety and possibility of using endoscopic photodynamic therapy as an complementary or primary therapy for early and inoperable tumors of the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory system.