Clinical experiences with photodynamic therapy for recurrent malignancies of the lower female genital tract.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with Photofrin II was administered over a 7-year period to 17 patients with recurrent carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the vulva, vagina, and perianum. Ten patients were treated two or three times after average intervening periods of 23 and 19 months, respectively. A histologically complete response at 3 months after the PDT session was achieved for 27 of 38 (71%) anatomic sites. Ten patients of this group remain free of recurrences for periods of 2-7 years. Condylomata acuminata associated with CIS in 16 of 17 patients recurred rapidly in 7 patients after PDT. Only short-term palliative results were achieved for 4 patients treated with PDT for invasive carcinoma. Fifteen patients experienced a significant skin reaction to direct sunlight during a 7-week period post-PDT.