The photodynamic therapy: state of the art and perspectives
Résumé
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a method of medical treatment using the concomitant action of a
photoactivatable molecule called the photosensitizer (PS), light, and oxygen naturally present in the
biological medium. After light excitation of the photosensitizer, an energy transfer to oxygen allows to
generate the formation of reactive oxygen species, especially singlet oxygen reactive leading to cell death.
This technique proves to be very efficient for certain types of cancer (especially in dermatology) and is
promising in other pathologies (prostate, brain). This article briefly describes the principle of PDT and then
analyzes the latest advances in PDT in terms of clinical applications (actinic keratoses, prostate, brain
cancer, retinoblastoma) and the use of PDT for antibacterial applications. Finally, the prospects of this
technique with among others the development of new vesicles or the use of X-rays as a source of energy to
overcome the problems of light penetration in tissues are presented.