30 patients with primary or recurrent malignant brain tumors (9 primary, 18 
recurrent malignant gliomas, 1 malignant meningioma, 2 melanomas) were treated 
altogether 37 times by photodynamic therapy (PDT) whether after intravenous, 
intraarterial or direct intratumoral sensitisation by hematoporphyrin (HPD) 
after conventional surgical removal of the tumor mass. The light was produced by 
an Argon pumped dye laser at doses varying from 40-220 J/cm2. A single dose of 
radiation of 4 Gy was administered to 18 patients immediately after PDT. The 9 
patients with primary glioblastomas received in addition a full course of 
radiation therapy. The histological specimens taken during PDT demonstrated 
tumor necrosis, with oedema of normal brain tissue adjacent to the tumorbed. The 
median survival of patients with multiple recurrences and various radio- and 
chemotherapeutic modalities was 6 months (range 4-13 months). 9 patients with 
primary manifestation of a glioblastoma had a median survival of 19 months 
(0.5-29 months). Increased phototoxicity of the skin was the only side effect of 
PDT and did not reduce the quality of life of the patients.