Efficacy of the Topical ALA-Photodynamic Therapy for Superficial Skin Tumors

Abstract

We assessed the efficacy of the topical ALA-photodynamic therapy for actinic keratosis and basal cell carcinoma. Seven cases of actinic keratoses, including two with large lesions, one with multiple lesions, two who were not responsive to cryotherapy, and two who requested cosmetic therapy, and one case of basal cell carcinoma who could not undergo operation because of anti-coagulant therapy received the treatment. Consequently, tumor lesions were clinically absent in five cases following three to eight doses of treatment and diminished in two cases. Topical ALA-PDT has the advantage of being cosmetic-friendly, since no scars or high pigmentation are observed after treatment. On the other hand, there is room for improvement especially with regard to the procedure time, since it requires four hours from application of the ALA onto the lesion to exposure of the light.