Presented in: SPIE BIOS 2023
Authors: Barry J. Liang, Robert Perttilä, Sumiao Pang, Chen-Hua Ma, Payal Srivastava, Brandon Gaitan, Aaron J. Sorrin, Zoe Ylöniemi, Dana Roque, Tayyaba Hasan, Petteri Uusimaa, Huang-Chiao Huang
Management of peritoneally metastatic cancer is a major clinical challenge. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is observed in 50% of colorectal cancer patients and >75% of ovarian cancer patients at the time of diagnosis. Selected patients based on age, comorbidities, and extent of the metastatic disease, will undergo complete cytoreductive surgery to remove the visible tumor nodules and subsequent chemotherapy to address the residual unresectable disease. Despite this aggressive treatment regimen, over 45% of patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis experience disease recurrence due to the residual cancer cells, emphasizing the need for improvements on the current standard of care. Photoimmunotherapy (PIT) is a clinically relevant and emerging method for treatment of disseminated peritoneal cancer. It leverages light activation of antibody-photosensitizer conjugates (i.e., photoimmunoconjugates, PICs) to produce highly cytotoxic reactive molecular species and generate fluorescence for simultaneous tumor destruction and treatment guidance. Recent advancements in interfacing nanotechnology with PIT have improved the persistent challenge of limited photosensitizer delivered by conventional PICs to the target cancer cells.
