Seasonal changes may dictate utilization of photodynamic therapy for actinic keratoses
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Key takeaways:
- More photodynamic therapy (PDT) sessions were performed during winter vs. summer.
- Southern states saw the least difference in PDT procedural claims throughout the year.
MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — The changing of seasons and geographical location may affect the utilization of photodynamic therapy for the treatment of actinic keratoses, according to a speaker at South Beach Symposium.
“New data suggest that [photodynamic therapy (PDT)] is seasonal with more treatments being done in the winter months,” Todd Schlesinger, MD, FAAD, affiliate assistant professor in the department of family medicine and health professions at the Medical University of South Carolina, clinical instructor at Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine and a member of the LiVDerm advisory board, told Healio. “This varies by state with the greatest difference in claims occurring in the coldest winter states.”
These data were derived from a 2023 study which was authored by Schlesinger and his colleagues and published in SKIN The Journal of Cutaneous Medicine. In the study, the researchers extracted 7.91 million patient records of individuals who underwent cryotherapy or PDT for the treatment of actinic keratoses from 2015 to 2022 in all 50 U.S. states and four U.S. territories.
While the rates of cryotherapy remained consistent through the year, results showed that PDT procedural claims were affected by season with significantly more treatment sessions being performed in the cooler months, September through February, and less in the warmer months, March through August (P = .0000159).
When stratified by geographical location, the difference between PDT procedural claims in the summer and winter were highest in northern states, which encountered the most dramatic seasonal changes, some going up to a more than 278% difference. On the other hand, the difference was lower in southern states ranging between a 2% and 100% difference.
In fact, the states with the highest PDT procedural claims were California with 167,000 patients and Florida with 162,000 patients. The state to report the next highest PDT patient participation was New York with a mere 60,000 patients.
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Schlesinger T, et al. Aks and PDT: Where are we now? Presented at: South Beach Symposium; Feb. 8-11, 2024; Miami Beach, Florida.
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