ELECTRO-OPTICAL DEVICE FOR MONITORING INSTANTANEOUS SINGLET OXYGEN CONCENTRATION PRODUCED DURING THE TREATMENT OF CANCER BY MEANS OF PHOTOCHEMOTHERAPY

摘要

An apparatus and method for monitoring the instantaneous concentration of singlet oxygen produced during photochemotherapy. The apparatus and method provides a tool to assess the effectiveness of the photochemotherapy treatment and prescribe a correct dosage of therapeutic photoradiation. The device generally comprises: a controllable therapeutic light source (18); an optical detection means (10) timed to detect light in the 1.27 micron band; an amplification means (12); and, an output indicator (14) which displays the instantaneous singlet oxygen concentration and/or the quenching rate.