Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Methods of detecting and treating rapidly growing exogenous cells, such as Protista, or parasites, that preferentially accumulate a photoactivatable porphyrin in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient, or contacted to the exogenous cells, in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the exogenous cells, followed by exposure of the exogenous cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: Lipophilic and amphiphilic therapeutic or diagnostic agents having water solubilizing groups attached thereto by bonds that can be cleaved readily by one or more of the various proteases that are active in the extracellular fluid or on the surfaces of cells in many types of malignant tissue may accumulate selectively in such malignant tissues. Protease mediated removal of the water solubilizing groups converts such drugs into lipophilic or amphiphilic forms which are more soluble in plasma membrane lipids and which therefore enter cells more readily. Since the extracellular fluid in most non-malignant tissues under normal circumstances has little such protease activity, removal of the water solubilizing groups takes place primarily within malignant tissues, with consequent preferential accumulation of the lipophilic or amphiphilic forms of the drug within malignant tissues.

Abstract: A method of detecting and treating malignant and non-malignant tissue abnormalities and lesions of the skin; conjunctiva; respiratory, digestive and vaginal mucosa; endometrium and urothelium; and for ablating the endometrial tissue and treating body fluids, including blood containing suspended abnormal cells, and for treating cancers of the nervous system in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of a protoporphyrin IX in the abnormal cells, followed by exposure of the abnormal cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: A method of detecting and treating malignant and non-malignant tissue abnormalities and lesions of the skin; conjunctiva; respiratory, digestive and vaginal mucosa; endometrium and urothelium; and for ablating the endometrial tissue and treating body fluids containing suspended abnormal cells, and for treating cancers of the nervous system in which 5-aminolevulinic acid or precursor thereof is administered to the patient in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis fluorescence and/or photosensitizing concentrations of of protoporphyrin IX in the abnormal cells, followed by exposure of the abnormal cells to light of photoactivating wavelengths.

Abstract: This invention relates to new preparations which are valuable for photodetection and photochemotherapy of tumors and malignant tissues. The active compounds of these therapeutic preparations are mono-, di- or polyamides of an amino alcohol and a cyclic tetrapyrrole containing at least one carboxyl group. The general structure of these active compounds is(ZNHCO).sub.n Xwherein Z is the amino alcohol molecule less the amino group, X is the tetrapyrrole molecule less a carboxyl group, and "n" is an integer from 1 to 8.

Abstract: A method of detecting and treating malignant and nonmalignant tissue abnormalities and lesions of the skin, conjunctives, respiratory, digestive and vaginal mucosa; endometrium and urothelium in which 5-aminolevulinic acid is administered to the patient in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis of protoporphyrin IX in the lesions, followed by exposure of the treated lesion to a photoactivating light in the range 350-640 nm.

Abstract: A method of detecting and treating malignant and non-malignant tissue abnormalities and lesions of the skin, conjunctives, respiratory, digestive and vaginal mucosa; endometrium and urothelium in which 5-aminolevulinic acid is administered to the patient in an amount sufficient to induce synthesis of protoporphyrin IX in the leisons, followed by exposure of the treated lesion to a photoactivating light in the range 350-640 nm.