POLL: Have You Considered Debulking Before PDT to Treat Pigmented BCCs?

Investigators Mazur et al conducted a literature review of PDT, a non-invasive light-activated treatment, in the management and treatment of BCCs. The review, published in Biomedicines, sought to explore the various uses of PDT in pigmented BCC lesions, specifically.

Using databases such as PubMed (MEDLINE) and Scopus, investigators searched for relevant literature. Key search terms included photodynamic therapy, PDT, basal cell, BCC, melanin, and pigment. An initial search included 482 studies, papers, and reviews; after excluding literature based on a lack of relevance, reviewers were left with a total of 9 studies included in the final review.

Studies revealed varying response rates, with some indicating lower efficacy in pigmented lesions. Combination approaches, such as debulking or curettage before PDT, demonstrated promising results, including more frequent complete treatment responses versus partial or no response in treatments where debulking or curettage were not additionally employed.

Studies by Kaviani, Ramirez, Lin, Souza, Itoh, Garcia-Cazana, Pereyra-Rodriguez, Salvio, and Sung presented diverse strategies. Debulking or curettage before PDT showed improved responses, suggesting a potential solution to the challenges posed by pigmented BCC.

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Reference

Mazur E, Kwiatkowska D, Reich A. Photodynamic Therapy in Pigmented Basal Cell Carcinoma-A Review. Biomedicines. 2023;11(11):3099. Published 2023 Nov 20. doi:10.3390/biomedicines11113099