Temoporfin (
INN
Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...
) is a
photosensitizer
Photosensitizers produce a physicochemical change in a neighboring molecule by either donating an electron to the substrate or by abstracting a hydrogen atom from the substrate. At the end of this process, the photosensitizer eventually returns to ...
(based on
chlorin
In organic chemistry, chlorins are tetrapyrrole pigments that are partially hydrogenated porphyrins. The parent chlorin is an unstable compound which undergoes air oxidation to porphine.
The name chlorin derives from chlorophyll. Chlorophylls a ...
) used in
photodynamic therapy
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a form of phototherapy involving light and a photosensitizing chemical substance, used in conjunction with molecular oxygen to elicit cell death (phototoxicity).
PDT is popularly used in treating acne. It is used cl ...
for the treatment of
squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous-cell carcinomas (SCCs), also known as epidermoid carcinomas, comprise a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...
of the
head and neck
This article describes the anatomy of the head and neck of the human body, including the brain, bones, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, glands, nose, mouth, teeth, tongue, and throat.
Structure Bones
The head rests on the top part of the vertebra ...
.
It is marketed in the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
under the brand name Foscan. The U.S.
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
(FDA) declined to approve Foscan in 2000. The EU approved its use in June 2001.
Good results were obtained in 21 of 35 patients treated in Germany.
It is photoactivated at 652 nm
i.e. by red light.
Patients can remain photosensitive for several weeks after treatment.
[
]
Further reading
Relationship between subcellular localisation of Foscan and caspase activation in photosensitised MCF-7 cells. Marchal et al. 2007
References
Photosensitizing agents
Tetrapyrroles
{{antineoplastic-drug-stub