The incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer has increased in recent years. Its early diagnosis and treatment has, therefore, been subjected to greater attention. The following article reports on one of the new therape-utic and diagnostic methods, námely photodynamic therapy and diagnostics (PDT, PDD), which enhance the dermatologists therapeutic options. It is a relatively selective method for treating cancer that meets one of the basic goals of tumour treatment: it targets cancerous cells only, causing minimum damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Although photodynamic therapy is now established in the Czech Republic, it is fairly controversial due to the expense of the associated photosensitizers and light source equipment.

        Key words: photodynamic therapy, photosensitizer, non-melanoma skin cancer.