Clinical and socio-economic assessment of photodynamic therapy for cancer and non-tumoural diseases

Abstract

For the last two decades a scientifically-grounded direction on photodynamic therapy (PDT) application in oncology and in several other medical spheres has been developed. If to compare with traditional techniques for treating cancer, PDT has a number of indisputable advantages. Moreover, PDT has also some advantages in treating chronic purulent infection (unhealing wounds, trophic ulcers of vascular etiology, etc.). In 2002 for the first time PDT was included into standard registers for treating malignant neoplasms, and since 2013 PDT has officially been regarded as one of possible alternative techniques for malignant neoplasms in the majority of locations. To finally accept PDT as a new medical technology with a perspective of wide practical application a socio-economic assessment of this technique effectiveness is required. On analyzing Russian and foreign publications with computerized models «price-effectiveness», expert conclusions and own experience, the authors came to the conclusion that PDT costs 3 folds less than surgical treatment of similar patients; it is 2 times less expensive than laser photodestruction and multicourse polychemiotherapy. Besides, PDT, in average, prolongs life of patients with an extensive tumoural process for 129 days more as compared to intensive surgical treatment and for 48 days more as compared to chemiotherapy. In patients with an extensive tumoural process and esophageal obturation palliative PDT is objectively more effective and safe as compared to YAG-ND recanalisation.