Table 1. Common photosensitizers in use for clinical PDT in oncology (manufacturers and web sites listed in Appendix 1).
| Family | Name | Alternative/Abbreviation | Activation light (nm) | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Porphyrin | Hematoporphyrin derivative | HpD | 630 | Precursor of Photofrin |
| Porphyrin | Photofrin | Porfimer sodium | 630–635 | Multipurpose |
| Porphyrin (prodrug) | Levulan | 5-ALA | 630 | Topical/skin |
| Porphyrin (prodrug) | Metvix | Methyl-ALA | 630 | Mainly skin |
| Porphyrin (prodrug) | Visudyne | Verteporfin | 619 | Experimental for oncology |
| Porphyrin (prodrug) | Hexaminolevulinate hydrochloride | HALA | Fluorescence cystoscopy | |
| Texaphyrin | Lutexaphyrin/lutetium texaphyrin | Lutex, Optrin | 730 | Experimental, clinical |
| Chlorin | Foscan | mTHPC | 525–660a | Head and neck, others/variable |
| Chlorin | Talaporfin | |||
| Chlorin | NPe6 | Mono-L-aspartyl chlorin 6 | 664 | Lung cancer |
| Chlorin | Photochlor | HPPH | 665–680 | |
| Bacteriochlorin | TOOKAD | Metal complex bacteriochlorin | 760 | Vascular targeted, prostate |
| Dye | Photosens | Phthalocyanine | 650–850 | Various |
Abbreviations: ALA, aminolevulinic acid; mTHPC, meso-tetraphenyl chlorine; PDT, photodynamic therapy; TOOKAD, Pd-bacteriopheophorbide.
a
Esophagus.