Patent ID: 7498029

Claim:
A method of achieving a synergistic reduction in tumor burden in a subject having a tumor, the method comprising the steps of a) administering a therapeutically effective amount of at least one photosensitizer, wherein the photosensitizer is taken up by a tumor; b) administering a therapeutically effective amount of an antibody that binds with specificity to an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), blocks extracellular ligand binding to the EGFR and exerts an inhibitory effect on growth and/or proliferation of the tumor and wherein the photosensitizer and the antibody do not comprise a photoimmunoconjugate; c) localizing the antibody to the tumor; and light-activating the tumor cell to produce a phototoxic species, thereby achieving a synergistic reduction in tumor burden in the subject.