Photodynamic therapy for pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma: a case report.

SIGNIFICANCE: Pulmonary mucoepidermoid carcinoma (PMEC) is a rare salivary glandtype tumor with no standard treatment. While photodynamic therapy (PDT) shows promise in early-stage central lung cancers, its role in PMEC remains underexplored.

APPROACH: We report a case of a 46-year-old male with low-grade PMEC of the left main bronchus. After initial bronchoscopic electrosnare resection, recurrence occurred 2 years later. The patient was treated with PDT, consisting of three consecutive daily sessions over three days using a 630 nm light source (0.9 W). Each treatment included two light exposures, with a total irradiation time of 600 seconds (540 J) for the first two sessions and 300 seconds (270 J) for the final session.

RESULTS

PDT resulted in complete tumor response, with no residual tumor cells on histology. Follow-up over 38 months confirmed no recurrence.

CONCLUSIONS

This case demonstrates PDT as a minimally invasive therapy for early stage PMEC, warranting further investigation.