Background: Meningeal melanomatosis is a rare type of central nervous system neoplasm (with incidence ranging between 3 and 5%) that develops in the course of malignant melanoma. In a small percentage of cases, meningeal melanomatosis may develop without a primary focus. It affects the leptomeninx. The clinical activity of the disease is uncharacteristic, with a number of neurological symptoms developing over weeks or months. Case presentation: A 45-year-old male patient presented with consciousness disturbance, cognitive dysfunctions, seizures and progressive paresis. None of the examinations performed, including cerebrospinal fluid examination, neuroimaging and biopsy of the leptomeninges, permitted us to establish a diagnosis during the patient’s hospital stay. The diagnosis of meningeal melanomatosis was established after an autopsy had been carried out. Conclusions: In the absence of unequivocal test results, it is also worth taking into account the primary changes in the leptomeninx, including those caused by melanoma.

The alarming increase in the number of advanced-stage prostate cancer cases with poor prognosis has led to a search for innovative methods of treatment. In response to the need for implementation of new and innovative methods of cancer tissue therapy, we studied photodynamic action in excised prostate tissue in vitro as a model for photodynamic therapy. To ascertain the effects of photodynamic action in prostate tissue, Rose Bengal (0.01 to 0.05 mM) was used as a photosensitizer in the presence of oxygen and light to generate singlet oxygen in tissues in vitro. Five preset concentrations of Rose Bengal were chosen and injected into prostate tissue samples (60 samples with 12 replications for each RB concentration) that were subsequently exposed to 532 nm light. The effects of irradiation of the Rose Bengal infused tissue samples were determined by histopathological analysis. Histopathological examination of prostate samples subjected to photodynamic action revealed numerous changes in the morphology of the neoplastic cells and the surrounding tissues. We conclude that the morphological changes observed in the prostate cancer tissues were a result of the photogeneration of cytotoxic singlet oxygen. The tissue damage observed post photodynamic action offers an incentive for continued in vitro investigations and future in vivo clinical trials.

Prostate cancer can significantly shorten the lifetime of a patient, even if he is diagnosed at an early stage. The development of minimally-invasive focal therapies such as photodynamic therapy to reduce the number of neoplastic cells while sparing delicate structures is extremely advantageous for treating prostate cancer. This study investigates the effect of photodynamic therapy performed in prostate tissue samples in vitro, using quantitative magnetic resonance imaging and histopathological analysis. Prostate tissue samples were treated with oxygenated solutions of Rose Bengal (RB) or protoporphyrin IX disodium salt (PpIX), illuminated with visible light, and then analyzed for changes in morphology by microscopy and by measurement of spin–lattice and spin–spin relaxation times at 1.5 Tesla. In the treated prostate tissue samples, histopathological images revealed chromatin condensation and swelling of the stroma, and in some cases, thrombotic necrosis and swelling of the stroma accompanied by pyknotic nuclei occurred. Several samples had protein fragments in the stroma. Magnetic resonance imaging of the treated prostate tissue samples revealed differences in the spin–lattice and spin–spin relaxation times prior to and post photodynamic action.

Background/Objectives: Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) accounts for the majority of newly diagnosed bladder cancers and is characterized by a high recurrence rate despite standard treatments. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) offers a promising alternative; however, objective methods for monitoring therapeutic response are needed. Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly T1 and T2 relaxation mapping, may provide non-invasive biomarkers of tissue response to PDT. Methods: In this ex vivo study, 50 samples obtained during transurethral electro-resection of bladder tumors were analyzed using a 1.5 Tesla MRI scanner. Twenty-five healthy control tissues (n = 25) served as the control group. Twenty-five NMIBC tissues were analyzed twice: before and after 5-ALA-PDT. T1 and T2 relaxation times were measured, and regions of interest (ROIs) were manually segmented to obtain quantitative values. Statistical analyses were performed to assess the significance of differences observed between study groups. Results: T1 relaxation times significantly differed between groups: 1351.7 ± 271.1 ms in healthy tissue, 727.7 ± 145.0 ms in untreated NMIBC, and 368.9 ± 65.2 ms in NMIBC after PDT (p < 0.0001). T2 values were 93.5 ± 20.3 ms (healthy), 78.5 ± 20.4 ms (NMIBC), and 55.7 ± 6.1 ms (NMIBC_PDT), with significant reduction after PDT (p < 0.01). Conclusions: Quantitative T1 and T2 mapping via MRI is a sensitive and non-invasive method for detecting structural and biochemical changes in bladder tissue following 5-ALA-PDT. These relaxation times may serve as reliable biomarkers for therapeutic response, facilitating in real-time monitoring and personalized treatment planning for NMIBC. Further in vivo studies are warranted to validate these findings and integrate them into clinical practice.