Treatment of the facial basal cell carcinoma with the use of photodynamic therapy: A case report

Abstract

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common skin cancer. It accounts for approx. 80% of human skin cancers and belongs to the group of non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC). The highest incidence of this cancer is visible in older people, over 65 years of age. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a clinically approved method with a selective cytotoxic activity. It is used in the treatment of superficial forms of BCC, precancerous conditions (hyperkeratosis, actinic keratosis) and non-cancerous diseases (acne vulgaris, infection with herpes simplex virus-HSV, leukoplakia, lichen planus). The aim of the study was to apply PDT to a patient with a clinical diagnosis and histopathologically confirmed BCC. The patient, male, aged 82, reported to the Department of Oral Surgery at Wroclaw Medical University with BCC of dimensions 0.5 × 1.5 cm, present for 13 years in the area of the right mandibular angle, after previous surgical treatment. Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) and PDT were employed using a semiconductor laser. 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) was used as a photosensitizer. The PDD and PDT procedures were applied at 2-week intervals for 3 months. Control visits after 3, 6 and 12 months did not show local recurrence. Photodynamic therapy is a highly useful, independent method of treating superficial forms of BCC.

Advances in Photodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Actinic Keratosis and Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer: A Narrative Review

“…Safety and efficacy of PDT for BCC has also been reported in numerous case studies (Table 3 ) [ 34 – 38 ]. Successful treatment and/or reduced growth of treated tumors after use of 20% ALA with red light illumination or 20% 5-ALA-PDT with blue light illumination have been observed in histologically confirmed superficial BCC, nevoid BCC syndrome, and multiple pigmented BCCs [ 35 , 36 , 38 ].…”

“…[ 34 ] Two patients; 56-year-old F, 52-year-old F Multiple pigmented BCC Upper limb and trunk 20% MAL for 3 h for first session and 1.5 h for second Red LED lamp (20 min exposure) Two sessions of MAL-PDT No recurrence of all lesions after 24 months of follow-up Trafalski et al. [ 35 ] 82-year-old M Histopathologically confirmed BCC Face 20% 5-ALA for 2 h Red light illumination PDT at 2-week intervals for 3 months No recurrence after 12 months of follow-up Chapas et al. [ 36 ] 73-year-old M Multiple sBCC and nBCC (nevoid BCC syndrome) Face and chest 20% 5-ALA for 1 h Blue light source Broad-area PDT Reduced size and number of existing BCC Itkin et al.…”

Fractal Dimension and Texture Analysis of Lesion Autofluorescence in the Evaluation of Oral Lichen Planus Treatment Effectiveness

“…PDT is used in the case of non-malignant and malignant lesions. Photodynamic therapy is widely applied in dermatology in actinic keratosis, acne vulgaris or basal cell carcinoma [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. In the case of skin lesions, the application of PS is relatively easy.…”