Background

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become one of the most effective therapies for the treatment of actinic keratosis, allowing the removal of more than one lesion in a single session. However, the pain sustained by the patient during treatment and local skin reactions can limit its use.

Objectives

To determine the efficacy and safety of combined PDT (daylight PDT followed by conventional PDT) vs. conventional PDT 12 weeks after treatment.

Methods

The study was performed as a randomized, single-center, non-inferiority clinical trial with two parallel groups. A total of 51 patients with grade I and II AKs on the scalp or face were randomized. 25 patients received one session of combined PDT (combPDT) and 26 patients received one session of conventional PDT (cPDT). The primary endpoint was the reduction of AKs, 12 weeks after treatment. The secondary endpoint was the reduction in pain and local skin reaction.

Results

The reduction rate of grade I and II AKs was similar in combPDT and cPDT, showing no statistically significant differences between both groups, 76.67% vs. 86.63% [p = 0.094] and 80.48% vs. 83.08% [p = 0.679], respectively. However, pain was significantly lower in the combPDT group (2.56 vs. 5, p < 0.01), as were local skin reactions.

Conclusions

CombPDT has proven to be as effective as cPDT for the treatment of grade I and II AKs located on the scalp and face. Furthermore, combPDT has been shown to be considerably more tolerable than cPDT, causing only mild local skin reactions.