Study: PDT reduces recurrence of SCCs

Minneapolis

- Results of a recently completed study appear to establish the efficacy of Levulan Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) in reducing the recurrence of squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) in solid organ transplant recipients (SOTRs), reports PRNewswire.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Department of Dermatology, found that the median number of SSCs dropped by 79 percent a year after treatment and by 95 percent two years after treatment, when compared to the pre-PDT year measurement date.

SCC, the second-most-common nonmelanoma skin cancer, has been associated with higher mortality rates in an at-risk population, such as SOTRs. Medical literature shows that these patients tend to develop multiple tumors that may be more likely to spread due to suppressed immune systems. For these patients, proactive management of the disease is essential to reducing the risk of developing invasive SCCs.

The prospective, open-label pilot study assessed a group of 12 men and women who had received kidney and/or heart transplants over the previous five to 30 years. Areas of skin with a high number of persistent keratotic lesions on the forearms, hands, chest and lower legs were identified for treatment. All SCCs in the treatment and nontreatment areas were treated with Mohs micrographic surgery during the 12 months before initiation of PDT.

New SCCs and SCCs in situ that developed during the course of the study were confirmed histologically and treated with Mohs surgery. Levulan Topical Solution was applied to the target skin areas and allowed to incubate. This was followed by blue light irradiation with the BLU-U blue light photodynamic therapy illuminator. Levulan PDT was repeated at four- to eight-week intervals for two years.

The study reported mild and transient adverse events, including erythema, edema, desquamation and focal crusting.