Doctor Pavel Popov, oncologist

Doctor Pavel Borisovich Popov is a world-famous oncologist. He is the founder of the first private medical specialized photodynamic therapy clinic in Russia.

He began his medical career in 1996, at the same time graduating with honors from the Kuban State Medical Academy (Krasnodar).

Just two years after graduating from the Academy, he defended his thesis of the Candidate of Medical Sciences on the topic “Anti-Arrhythmic Activity of Antioxidant and Energy-Providing Substances”. While working on it, he concluded that the use of porphyrins in oncology is promising.

Dr. Popov is a scientist, an oncologist, who dedicated his life to the introduction of PHOTODYNAMIC THERAPY (PDT) into clinical practice. He gained worldwide fame after he removed the "Batman mask" from the American girl Luna.

Dr. Popov has developed unique treatment methods for:

• melanoma and skin cancer of complex localizations,
• locally advanced skin cancer of a large area,
• giant nevi,
• non-invasive cervical cancer,
• photochemotherapy of distant metastases.

Dr. Popov has achieved amazing results in the treatment of oncological diseases. His portfolio includes hundreds of unique and complex operations, each of which is a real miracle in oncology.

He was the first in the world to introduce PDT into clinical practice as an alternative to surgical treatment for primary melanoma.

He proved the counterproductiveness of wide excision in melanoma and proposed a treatment method that greatly increased the life expectancy of patients with this disease.

One of the remarkable qualities of Dr. Popov is the ability to recognize a malignant tumor in the early stages.⁠

Dr. Pavel Popov is one of the most prominent representatives of modern Russian medicine, whose name is known far beyond the borders of our country. His path to the profession began in his childhood and was marked by outstanding achievements throughout his career.

Dr. Popov was born on September 8, 1971. From an early age, he showed extraordinary abilities in biology, chemistry and physics. At the age of 12, young Dr. Popov performed his first operation – he removed a sarcoma from a hamster under ether anesthesia. Obviously, his passion for medicine and desire to help people were determined long before the start of his professional activity.

In 1990, Dr. Popov entered the Kuban Medical Institute named after the Red Army (now the Kuban State Medical University). From the first days of study, he stood out from his fellow students with his deep knowledge and unconventional approach to solving problems. It is not surprising that the young man immediately won the fame of the most capable student who can handle any question.

In his third year, Dr. Popov began doing scientific work at the Department of Pharmacology under the supervision of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Pavel A. Galenko-Yaroshevsky, while simultaneously working on his Candidate of Sciences thesis. His efforts did not go unnoticed: Dr. Popov graduated from the university not just with honors, but with exceptionally excellent grades. In 1998, he successfully defended his thesis, receiving a grade of the Candidate of Medical Sciences. However, the education of the future luminary of Russian oncology did not end there. Dr. Popov deepened his knowledge, becoming a surgical oncologist. At the same time, he did not abandon his scientific and teaching activities at his native academy and the Kuban State University.

A turning point in Dr. Popov's career was his acquaintance with the works of the outstanding biochemist Geliy V. Ponomarev, the creator of such photosensitizers as dimegin and photoditazine. This acquaintance developed into a fruitful collaboration, which formed the basis for further developments and the introduction of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in oncology.

Dr. Popov was the first in the world to express the need to replace wide excision of primary melanoma with PDT. Since 2004, he has been treating this type of cancer, achieving truly outstanding results – remission for more than 10 years occurs even in patients with metastases. This was even shown on the NTV channel.

In addition to melanoma, Dr. Popov developed a PDT technique for the treatment of cervical dysplasia. It is much more effective than the usual conization, and, in addition, eliminates papillomavirus infection, preventing relapses. Using this technique, Dr. Popov cured hundreds of young women.

His achievements do not end there. He also improved PDT for skin cancer, which allowed for radical treatment of even locally advanced forms in complex anatomical areas, such as the eyelids, without damaging the surrounding tissues. This was also featured on TV.

Dr. Popov was especially proud of his more than 300 unique PDT operations, which have no analogues in world practice in terms of complexity. His patients included those who had previously been denied surgical or radiation treatment. Among them are patients with melanoma of the nasal and oral mucosa, obstructive melanoma of the trachea, melanoma and eyelid cancer, melanoma and cancer of the genitals, giant congenital melanocytic nevi, giant arterial angiomas, cavernous hemangiomas.

Dr. Popov gained wide fame after he successfully removed the "Batman mask" from the American girl Luna. This unique case was widely covered by the world media. In addition to developing innovative PDT methods for the radical removal of primary malignant tumors, Dr. Popov is also actively involved in palliative treatment of cancer patients. His method of indirect photodynamic lysis of distant metastases allows to prolong the lives of this category of patients and in many cases achieve stable long-term remission. These successes were also noted in the media.

Today, the name of Dr. Pavel Popov is known far beyond the borders of our country. He is a recognized authority in the field of photodynamic therapy in oncology, his experience and developments are adopted by colleagues from leading clinics around the world. His truly unique achievements certainly deserve the closest attention and admiration.

Dr. Popov not only developed unique photodynamic therapy methods, but also founded the first and only specialized PDT clinic in the world. Here, even the most complex operations are performed on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia, in cases where classical medicine is forced to resort to hospitalization, endotracheal anesthesia and placing the patient in the intensive care unit after the intervention.

Thanks to his innovative approach, Dr. Popov was able to significantly simplify and make many oncological operations more comfortable for patients. His clinic has become a real sanctuary for those who were denied treatment in other medical institutions or offered crippling, traumatic or debilitating procedures. Dr. Popov gives these people hope and returns them to a full life.

In addition to his outstanding surgical skills and innovative methods, Dr. Popov has unique diagnostic abilities. He can visually identify neoplasms of the skin and mucous membranes with the highest accuracy, including from photographs. This extraordinary diagnostic acuity, combined with his deep knowledge and experience, allows Dr. Popov to recognize even the most complex and rare pathologies at the earliest stage.

With his research, developments and practical activities, Dr. Popov has made a real revolution in oncology, significantly expanding the possibilities of effective treatment of the most severe, previously considered inoperable, forms of cancer. He can be called an outstanding innovative doctor, whose achievements inspire deep respect and serve as an example of selfless service to medicine.