Abstract
Between January 1991 and December 1992 a phase I trial of superficial photodynamic therapy (PDT) using topical application of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA) was undertaken to treat Bowen's disease, superficial basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and metastatic skin secondaries from breast (adenocarcinoma) or pinna (squamous cell carcinoma). Promising results were obtained with 36 areas of Bowen's disease, with a complete response rate of 89% at a median follow-up of 18 months. The treatment of BCCs was less successful, with 50% complete responses in 16 lesions at a median follow-up of 17 months. Metastatic nodules responded poorly. The treatment was well tolerated and discomfort during light irradiation could be reduced by prior application of 'Emla' cream. Lesions wept for 1-2 weeks following treatment and healed over a period of approximately 2 months. For large areas of Bowen's disease, particularly in anatomically difficult areas and in elderly patients, PDT using ALA may constitute a single simple alternative outpatient treatment to existing therapies. Further work is required to improve the results with BCCs.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 24 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $10.79 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cairnduff, F., Stringer, M., Hudson, E. et al. Superficial photodynamic therapy with topical 5-aminolaevulinic acid for superficial primary and secondary skin cancer. Br J Cancer 69, 605–608 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1994.112
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.1994.112
This article is cited by
-
Advances in Topical Treatments of Cutaneous Malignancies
American Journal of Clinical Dermatology (2023)
-
Contrasting the efficacy of pulsed dye laser and photodynamic methylene blue nanoemulgel therapy in treating acne vulgaris
Archives of Dermatological Research (2021)
-
Functional ferritin nanoparticles for biomedical applications
Frontiers of Chemical Science and Engineering (2017)
-
Comparing desferrioxamine and light fractionation enhancement of ALA-PpIX photodynamic therapy in skin cancer
British Journal of Cancer (2016)
-
Mesoporous nanocarriers for the loading and stabilization of 5-aminolevulinic acid
Journal of Nanoparticle Research (2016)