Effect of methylene blue-mediated photodynamic therapy for treatment of basal cell carcinoma

Abstract

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is regarded as a treatment option for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of methylene blue (MB)-based PDT in patients suffering from nodular or ulcerative BCCs. This study is a prospective clinical trial with a 6-months follow-up. The study setting is at the Dermatology Clinic at NILES, Cairo University, Egypt. Seventeen patients complaining of nodular BCC (nBCC) and three patients complaining of ulcerative BCC (uBCC) were taken as samples. Methylene blue, the photosensitizer, was prepared in two different formulas: liposomal-loaded MB (LMB) was prepared and formulated in hydrogel (MB 0.2%) to be used topically alone for treating BCCs <2 cm in diameter or to be combined with intralesional injection (ILI) of free MB 2% aqueous solution for treating BCCs ≥2 cm in diameter. A session was performed every 2 weeks until complete response (CR) of the lesion or for a maximum of six sessions. Clinical assessments of clinical improvement, dermatological photography, monthly follow-up visits for 6 months, and skin biopsy after 3 months of follow-up to confirm the response, recurrence, or both in cases in which the clinical evaluation was ambiguous. Seventeen patients of the 20 completed the study, 11 patients achieved CR with very good cosmetic outcome, photosensitizer tolerance, and minimal reported side effects. MB is a cheap promising alternative photosensitizer for PDT of nBCC.

Hydrogels: soft matters in photomedicine

“…Liposomal MB formulations 314,315,316 were used in a PDT study of 20 patients with nodular and ulcerative basal cell carcinoma showed 11 patients to have complete response with good cosmetic outcome and minimal side effects after six months. 317 Toluidine blue (31) is another phenothiazine PS used in PDT for a long time. 318,319,320 Formulation in liposomes followed by incorporation into carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels (sometimes called a transferosome approach) and in vivo studies on subcutaneous Ehrlich tumor showed an increase in overall survival of mice when compared to treatment with free toluidine blue.…”

Coblation plus photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of juvenile onset laryngeal papillomatosis: case reports

“…The procedure was similar to that of our previous study [14]. The laser wavelength was 635 nm and the power was 280 to 300 mW.…”

Dicyanomethylene Substituted Benzothiazole Squaraines: The Efficiency of Photodynamic Therapy In Vitro and In Vivo

“…The reported photosensitizers are mainly porphyrin-based derivatives ( Lucky et al, 2015 , Ormond and Freeman, 2013 ). Several classes of non-porphyrin derivatives, such as cyanines ( Fekrazad et al, 2015 , Gluth et al, 2015 ), xanthenes ( Gianotti et al, 2014 , Wang et al, 2013 , Yao et al, 2014 ), phenothiazines ( Samy et al, 2015 , Yu et al, 2015 ), and anthraquinones ( Sharma and Davids, 2012 , Theodossiou et al, 2009 ) were investigated recently. Most of the reported photosensitizers absorb light in the visible region.…”