Determination of the tumor tissue optical properties during and after photodynamic therapy using inverse Monte Carlo method and double integrating sphere between 350 and 1000 nm

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy depends on the amount of light distribution within the tissue. However, conventional PDT does not consider the laser irradiation dose during PDT. The optical properties of biological tissues (absorption coefficient μ(a), reduced scattering coefficient μ's), anisotropy factor g, refractive index, etc.) help us to recognize light propagation through the tissue. The goal of this paper is to acquire the knowledge of the light propagation within tissue during and after PDT with the optical property of PDT-performed mouse tumor tissue. The optical properties of mouse tumor tissues were evaluated using a double integrating sphere setup and the algorithm based on the inverse Monte Carlo method in the wavelength range from 350 to 1000 nm. During PDT, the μ(a) and μ's were not changed after 1 and 5 min of irradiation. After PDT, the μ's in the wavelength range from 600 to 1000 nm increased with the passage of time. For seven days after PDT, the μ's increased by 1.7 to 2.0 times, which results in the optical penetration depth decreased by 1.4 to 1.8 times. To ensure an effective procedure, the adjustment of laser parameters for the decreasing penetration depth is recommended for the re-irradiation of PDT.