Factors related to pain during routine photodynamic therapy: a descriptive study of 301 patients

Effect of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Photodynamic Therapy with Transfer Factor Capsules in the Treatment of Multiple Plantar Warts

BACKGROUND

Plantar warts are a common cutaneous disease of the sole of the foot caused by human papillomavirus. Photodynamic therapy has gained increasing attention in the treatment of plantar warts.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the effect of photodynamic therapy combined with transfer factor capsules in the treatment of multiple plantar warts.

METHODS

Sixty-one patients with multiple plantar warts who visited our outpatient department from September 2017 to August 2019 were randomly divided into two groups. Twenty-three patients received photodynamic therapy (treatment group) and thirty-eight received cryotherapy (control group). Both groups also received immune modulator transfer factor capsules. Skin lesion score, numeric rating scale- (NRS-) 10 score, recurrence rate, adverse reactions, and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were analyzed in both groups.

RESULTS

The mean skin lesion score improved from 13.39 ± 3.88 before treatment to 1.48 ± 2.50 after the last treatment in the treatment group and from 12.47 ± 2.99 before treatment to 4.47 ± 3.67 after the last treatment in the control group. The success rate after 3 months of treatment was 86.96% in the treatment group and 39.47% in the control group. After 3 months of follow-up, the recurrence rate was significantly lower in the treatment group (20%) than in the control group (53.33%). The mean DLQI score at three months after treatment was significantly lower in the treatment group (3.61 ± 1.16) than in the control group (6.31 ± 2.59).

CONCLUSION

Photodynamic therapy combined with immunomodulators significantly increased the cure rate and reduced the recurrence rate of multiple plantar warts compared with traditional cryotherapy combined with immunomodulators.

Actinic keratosis area and severity index is not correlated with photodynamic therapy procedural pain

BACKGROUND

The Actinic Keratosis Area and Severity Index (AKASI) is a validated quantitative tool used to measure the severity of actinic keratoses. Given the success of AKASI in measuring outcomes and therapies related to actinic damage, we hypothesized that AKASI would be correlated to photodynamic therapy (PDT)-related pain. The aim of this study was to evaluate AKASI's correlation with PDT-associated pain for patients with AKs being treated with 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) PDT.

METHODS

Thirty consecutive patients being treated for AKs with ALA PDT on the face and/or scalp were recruited from a single center. The AKASI of the treated areas were collected. The patient underwent a standard treatment with ALA-PDT for a total of 10 J/cm2 to treated area. Immediate post-procedural pain scores were measured using a visual-analog pain scale. Pain and AKASI scores were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

AKASI was not correlated to pain score (Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.027, p = 0.87). In sub-group analyses, there was no strong correlation between the scalp AKASI or face AKASI and respective pain scores (p = 0.59 and p = 0.38, respectively). Furthermore, there was no strong correlation between the individual components of AKASI and pain score: distribution (p = 0.26), erythema (p = 0.66) and thickness (p = 0.43).

CONCLUSION

There is no correlation between the AKASI score and perceived pain from PDT. Therefore, the need for pain relief using a fan and evaporative cooling should be anticipated for all patients. We feel that this negative result is noteworthy as it supports mechanisms outside of AK destruction as the cause of immediate PDT-related pain.

Optical coherence angiography for pre-treatment assessment and treatment monitoring following photodynamic therapy: a basal cell carcinoma patient study

Microvascular networks of human basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and surrounding skin were assessed with optical coherence angiography (OCA) in conjunction with photodynamic therapy (PDT). OCA images were collected and analyzed in 31 lesions pre-treatment, and immediately/24 hours/3-12 months post-treatment. Pre-treatment OCA enabled differentiation between prevalent subtypes of BCC (nodular and superficial) and nodular-with-necrotic-core BCC subtypes with a diagnostic accuracy of 78%; this can facilitate more accurate biopsy reducing sampling error and better therapy regimen selection. Post-treatment OCA images at 24 hours were 98% predictive of eventual outcome. Additional findings highlight the importance of pre-treatment necrotic core, vascular metrics associated with hypertrophic scar formation, and early microvascular changes necessary in both tumorous and peri-tumorous regions to ensure treatment success.

Comparison of Blue and White Lamp Light with Sunlight for Daylight-Mediated, 5-ALA Photodynamic Therapy, in vivo

Daylight-mediated photodynamic therapy (d-PDT) as a treatment for actinic keratosis (AK) is an increasingly common technique due to a significant reduction in pain, leading to better patient tolerability. While past studies have looked at different light sources and delivery methods, this study strives to provide equivalent PpIX-weighted light doses with the hypothesis that artificial light sources could be equally as effective as natural sunlight if their PpIX-weighted fluences were equalized. Normal mouse skin was used as the model to compare blue LED light, metal halide white light and natural sunlight, with minimal incubation time between topical ALA application and the onset of light delivery. A total PpIX-weighted fluence of 20 J_eff cm^-2 was delivered over 2 h, and the efficacy of response was quantified using three acute bioassays for PDT damage: PpIX photobleaching, Stat3 crosslinking and quantitative histopathology. These bioassays indicated blue light was slightly inferior to both sunlight and white light, but that the latter two were not significantly different. The results suggest that metal halide white light could be a reasonable alternative to daylight PDT, which should allow a more controlled treatment that is independent of weather and yet should have similar response rates with limited pain during treatment.

Pain during topical photodynamic therapy - comparing methyl aminolevulinate (Metvix®) to aminolaevulinic acid (Ameluz®); an intra-individual clinical study

BACKGROUND

Actinic keratoses are often treated by photodynamic therapy. However, the main side effect of this treatment is pain during and shortly after illumination.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate, in an intra-individual study, whether the pain response differ in treatment of actinic keratoses in scalp and forhead, using branded methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) and aminolaevulinic acid (ALA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients with mild to moderate actinic keratoses on forehead and scalp were treated with methyl aminolaevulinate (MAL)-PDT and aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)-PDT on two similar areas of forehead and scalp. The pain response were measured using visual analogue scale ranging from 0 to 10 during the illumination and 30min after the treatment.

RESULTS

Fourteen patients completed treatment to MAL and ALA-PDT. We found no significant difference in pain intensity between MAL and ALA-PDT, neither during the treatment (p-value=1) nor 30min after the treatment (p-value of 0.19).

CONCLUSIONS

This intra-individual study demonstrate no significant difference between the pain response during PDT using methyl aminolevulinate and aminolaevulinic acid.

The relation between methyl aminolevulinate concentration and inflammation after photodynamic therapy in healthy volunteers

Inflammation and pain are well known adverse-effects in photodynamic therapy (PDT). There is currently a tendency towards introducing lower concentrations of the photosensitizer than used in the standard treatment for various indications. The aim of this study was to investigate whether reduced concentrations of methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) can reduce inflammation (erythema) during PDT treatment. We measured the formation of protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) using fluorescence and monitored both erythema and pain during and after PDT treatment with conventional 16% MAL and threee reduced concentrations of 2, 0.75, and 0.25% in twenty-four healthy volunteers. We found that lowering the MAL concentration reduced PpIX fluorescence and erythema after PDT treatment. There was a strong correlation (R(2) = 0.70) between the PpIX fluorescence and erythema after treatment. A further increase in erythema after PDT was dependent on pre-treatment skin erythema. PpIX fluorescence could explain 70% of the increase in erythema (P < 0.0005). Pain and post-treatment hyperpigmentation can be reduced but not eliminated by limiting the MAL concentration. An efficacy study of PDT with these three reduced concentrations has not been performed.