Table 1.

Roles of PDT to Treat Patients With Thoracic Malignancies

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer*

Definitive therapy for early-stage central endobronchial tumors

Definitive therapy for early-stage locally recurrent central tumors following Definitive surgery or radiation therapy

Definitive therapy for early-stage peripheral lung lesions

Definitive therapy for roentgenographically occult central tumors

Definitive therapy for synchronous primary carcinomas

Neoadjuvant therapy to convert originally inoperable patients to surgical candidates

Neoadjuvant therapy to reduce the extent of surgical resection (pneumonectomy → lobectomy)

Palliation to reduce endobronchial luminal obstruction and tumor stenosis, improve performance status and respiratory function, and resolve acute hemoptysis and poststenotic pneumonia

Treatment of disease with pleural spread as part of multi-modality therapy

Treatment of locally advanced disease as part of multi-modality therapy

Small-cell Lung Cancer

Palliation to reduce endobronchial luminal obstruction and tumor stenosis, improve performance status and respiratory function, and resolve acute hemoptysis and poststenotic pneumonia

Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

Intraoperative adjuvant therapy following extrapleural pneumonectomy

Intraoperative adjuvant therapy following radical pleurectomy

Palliation to reduce endobronchial luminal obstruction and tumor stenosis, improve performance status and respiratory function, and resolve acute hemoptysis and poststenotic pneumonia

^*Role of PDT for non-small cell lung cancer adapted, in part, from Simone CB 2nd, et al. J Thorac Dis. 2012;4(1):63-75.²