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Actinic keratosis improves with aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy

Short incubation blue light aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy improved clearance of actinic keratosis compared with vehicle photodynamic therapy, with additional treatments increasing efficacy, according to recent data.

“The results of this study confirm and extend the results of previous smaller studies showing that blue light [aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy] performed using incubation times as short as 1 hour can provide significant clearance of [actinic keratoses],” David M. Pariser, MD, from the department of dermatology at Eastern Virginia Medical School and Virginia Clinical Research Inc. in Norfolk, and colleagues wrote.

“Although a single short-incubation [aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy] treatment in this study produced lesion clearance from 36% to 57%, a second treatment performed at week 8 increased the [actinic keratoses clearance rate] to 68% to 79%.”

Pariser and colleagues applied aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy to 18 participants for 1 to 3 hours on the face or scalp before blue light activation. There were five treatment groups: broad area application of aminolevulinic acid 1 hour, 2 hours or 3 hours before blue light, a spot application 2 hours before blue light or vehicle. Participants were aged 18 or older and had six to 20 grade 1 or grade 2 actinic keratoses with a history of treatment at least 2 years prior to the study period.

At week 12, the clearance rate was 68% to 79% among participants treated with aminolevulinic acid, compared with 7% in the vehicle group (P < .001). The complete clearance rate ranged from 17% to 30% at week 12 among those treated with aminolevulinic acid vs. 2% in the vehicle group (P = .0041). The researchers noted that the safety profile of aminolevulinic acid photodynamic therapy was similar to that seen in other studies. – by Jeff Craven

Disclosure: Please see the full study for a list of all authors’ disclosures.