Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is based on the use of light-sensitive molecules called photosensitizers. Photoactivation causes the formation of singlet oxygen, which produces peroxidative reactions that can cause cell damage and death. Porfimer sodium (Photofrin, manufactured by Lederle Parenterals, Carolina, Puerto Rico, under license from Quadra Logic Technologies, Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada) is the photosensitizer that has been studied most extensively. Patients generally have to be hospitalized for 2 days prior to light treatment after administration of porfimer sodium; it takes approximately 48 hours after injection to reach optimal concentration in tumor tissue. The tumoricidal capacity of PDT with porfimer sodium is determined in part by the maximum depth of penetration of light having a wavelength of 630 nm. Porfimer sodium causes cutaneous photosensitivity that may last for up to 6 weeks. Benzoporphyrin derivative (BPD verteporfin; BPD-Quadra Logic Technologies, Inc, Vancouver, BC, Canada), another photosensitizer, accumulates more rapidly in tumor tissue, permitting optimal PDT 30 to 150 minutes following intravenous administration. It is rapidly cleared from the body, and skin photosensitivity does not extend beyond a few days. The primary mechanism of action of PDT is related to the selective accumulation of photosensitizers in cancer tissue. Photodynamic therapy also shows promise in the treatment of a number of nonneoplastic conditions, including psoriasis, macular degeneration of the retina, atherosclerotic plaque and restenosis, bone marrow purging for treatment of leukemias with autologous bone marrow transplantation, inactivation of viruses in blood or blood products, and several autoimmune conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Physiologic characteristics shared by this disparate group of diseases, and the mechanisms by which they may mediate photoactivation, are discussed.