Extracorporeal Photopheresis with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid in Crohn's Disease-A First-in-Human Phase I/II Study.

With the increasing prevalence of Crohn's disease (CD), treatment options for patients who fail conventional and advanced therapy are highly needed. Therefore, we explored the safety and efficacy of extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and blue light (405 nm). Patients with active CD who failed or were intolerant to biological therapy were eligible.

Clinical versus Histological Assessment of Basal Cell Carcinoma Subtype and Thickness of Tumours Selected for Photodynamic Therapy.

Photodynamic therapy is an approved treatment for primary, superficial, and small nodular basal cell carcinomas with a thickness of < 2 mm located on low-risk sites. Histologically verified basal cell carcinomas clinically assessed as suited for photodynamic therapy were included. The study aimed to investigate the agreement between clinical and histological assessments of basal cell carcinoma subtypes and thickness of tumours selected for photodynamic therapy with histopathological evaluation as a reference.

New, simplified versus standard photodynamic therapy (PDT) regimen for superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma (BCC): A single-blind, non-inferiority, randomised controlled multicentre study.

Background: Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an approved and widely used treatment for low-risk basal cell carcinoma (BCC), comprising two sessions with an interval of 1 week. Simplification of the treatment course can be cost-effective, easier to organize, and cause less discomfort for the patients.

Methods And Findings: We performed an investigator-initiated, single-blind, non-inferiority, randomized controlled multicentre study with the objective of investigating whether a simpler and more flexible PDT regimen was not >10% less effective than the standard double PDT in the treatment of primary, superficial, and nodular ≤2 mm-thick BCC and evaluate the cosmetic outcome.

Expression of β-Catenin, E-Cadherin, and α-Smooth Muscle Actin in Basal Cell Carcinoma Before Photodynamic Therapy in Non-recurrent and Recurrent Tumors: Exploring the Ability of Predicting Photodynamic Therapy Outcome.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an effective and cosmetically beneficial treatment of low-risk basal cell carcinomas (BCCs). To optimize PDT response, it is important to correctly select tumors. We sought to find markers that could identify such tumors beyond contributions from clinical and histological examination.

Photodynamic Effects with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid on Cytokines and Exosomes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Patients with Crohn's Disease.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) using 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) which is the precursor of the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is an available treatment for several diseases. ALA-PDT induces the apoptosis and necrosis of target lesions. We have recently reported the effects of ALA-PDT on cytokines and exosomes of human healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs).

Photodynamic Effects with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid on Cytokines and Exosomes in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a precursor to the potent photosensitizer, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), is an established modality for several malignant and premalignant diseases. This treatment is based on the light-activated PpIX in targeted lesions. Although numerous studies have confirmed the necrosis and apoptosis involved in the mechanism of action of this modality, little information is available for the change of exosome levels after treatment.

Application of Photodynamic Therapy with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid to Extracorporeal Photopheresis in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Graft-versus-Host Disease: A First-in-Human Study.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), an immunomodulatory therapy for the treatment of chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGvHD), exposes isolated white blood cells to photoactivatable 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and UVA light to induce the apoptosis of T-cells and, hence, to modulate immune responses. However, 8-MOP-ECP kills diseased and healthy cells with no selectivity and has limited efficacy in many cases. The use of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and light (ALA-based photodynamic therapy) may be an alternative, as ex vivo investigations show that ALA-ECP kills T-cells from cGvHD patients more selectively and efficiently than those treated with 8-MOP-ECP.

Selective Killing of Activated T Cells by 5-Aminolevulinic Acid Mediated Photodynamic Effect: Potential Improvement of Extracorporeal Photopheresis.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), a modality that exposes isolated leukocytes to the photosensitizer 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and ultraviolet-A (UV-A) light, is used to treat conditions such as cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and graft-versus-host disease. However, the current procedure of ECP has limited selectivity and efficiency; and produces only partial response in the majority of treated patients. Additionally, the treatment is expensive and time-consuming, so the improvement for this modality is needed.

Curettage and multiple needle puncture-assisted methyl-aminolaevulinate photodynamic therapy of basal cell carcinoma.

The use of skin puncture techniques may facilitate the delivery of topically applied drugs for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The main aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and cosmetic outcome of curettage, multiple needle puncture, and methyl-aminolaevulinate (MAL)-PDT in basal cell carcinoma (BCC). All tumours received curettage and 15-20 needle punctures/cm before two sessions of MAL-PDT.

Comparison between 8-methoxypsoralen and 5-aminolevulinic acid in killing T cells of photopheresis patients ex vivo.

Background And Objective: Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP), an established modality for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and graft-versus-host disease, involves ex vivo treatment of isolated leukocytes of a patient with the photosensitizing drug 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and ultraviolet-A (UV-A) exposure before reinfusion back to the patient. However, 8-MOP binds to both diseased and normal cells and thus kills both types of the cells after UV-A illumination with little selectivity. Clinically, this modality gives only partial response in the majority of treated patients.

Is There a Relationship between the Stratum Corneum Thickness and That of the Viable Parts of Tumour Cells in Basal Cell Carcinoma?

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is an invasive epithelial skin tumour. The thickness of the outermost epidermal layer of the skin, the stratum corneum (SC), influences drug uptake and penetration into tumour and may thereby affect the response of BCC to topical treatment. The aim was to investigate a possible relationship between the thickness of the SC and that of the viable part of BCC.

Pre-treatment deep curettage can significantly reduce tumour thickness in thick Basal cell carcinoma while maintaining a favourable cosmetic outcome when used in combination with topical photodynamic therapy.

Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) has limitations in the treatment of thick skin tumours. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of pre-PDT deep curettage on tumour thickness in thick (≥2 mm) basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Additionally, 3-month treatment outcome and change of tumour thickness from diagnosis to treatment were investigated.

Pre-treatment evaluation of basal cell carcinoma for photodynamic therapy: comparative measurement of tumour thickness in punch biopsy and excision specimens.

Tumour thickness affects the outcome of photodynamic therapy in basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The aim of this study was to evaluate whether punch biopsy provides reliable information on BCC tumour thickness, by comparing corresponding measurements in biopsy and excision specimens for 48 lesions in 43 patients. BCC tumours were between 0.

Photodynamic therapy with methyl aminolevulinate for prevention of new skin lesions in transplant recipients: a randomized study.

Background: Organ transplant recipients on long-term immunosuppressive therapy are at increased risk of non-melanoma skin lesions. Repeated field photodynamic therapy using topical methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) may have potential as a preventive treatment.

Methods: This open randomized, intrapatient, comparative, multicenter study included 81 transplant recipients with 889 lesions (90% actinic keratoses (AK)].