A regimen to minimize pain during blue light photodynamic therapy of actinic keratoses: Bilaterally controlled, randomized trial of simultaneous versus conventional illumination.

Background: Blue light photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective for actinic keratosis, but many patients experience stinging pain during illumination.

Objective: To compare a conventional regimen (1 hour of 5-aminolevulinic acid [ALA] preincubation, followed by blue light) versus a new modified regimen in which blue light is started immediately after ALA application.

Methods: A clinical trial with a bilaterally controlled, intrapatient study design was conducted with 23 patients.

5-Fluorouracil Enhances Protoporphyrin IX Accumulation and Lesion Clearance during Photodynamic Therapy of Actinic Keratoses: A Mechanism-Based Clinical Trial.

Actinic keratoses (AK) are precancerous lesions that can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) and topical 5-fluorouracil (5FU) are commonly used agents for AK. Empirical reports suggest that combining them can improve the therapeutic response.