Photoradiation therapy in early gastrointestinal cancer.

Endoscopic photodynamic therapy has been used in the treatment of 19 cases of upper gastrointestinal cancer of which six were superficial esophageal and 13 were early gastric cancer. Six patients subsequently underwent surgical resection. Residual tumors were found in the resected specimens of one esophageal carcinoma and in the two early gastric carcinomas. Technical problems resulted in one failure. Follow-up ranged from 4 months to 3 years and 11 months with no tumor recurrence in either the operated or unoperated patients. Other delivery systems are currently under investigation.