PDT cosmetically more effective than surgery for BCC

Manchester, England - Results of a new study suggest that topical methyl aminolevulinate photodynamic therapy (PDT) may be more suitable in certain basal cell carcinoma cases than excision surgery, HealthDay News reports.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester and Salford Royal Foundation Hospital, was published in the September issue of Archives of Dermatology.

The researchers analyzed data from a prospective, randomized study of 97 patients. Fifty patients had 53 basal cell carcinoma lesions treated with methyl aminolevulinate PDT, and 47 patients had 52 lesions treated with excision surgery. Patients with a complete clinical response at three months were followed long term.

After five years, 14 percent of the PDT lesions had recurred, while 4 percent of the surgery lesions recurred. However, 87 percent of patients in the PDT group had “excellent” or “good” cosmetic results versus 54 percent in the surgery group.

“Whereas simple excision surgery will generally remain the treatment of choice for nodular basal cell carcinoma amenable to this intervention, methyl aminolevulinate PDT is also an effective treatment,” the authors write, adding that PDT “may be more suitable for the treatment of lesions in cosmetically sensitive areas, such as the face, where optimal cosmetic outcome is an important clinical consideration.”