A study of topical methyl-aminolaevulinate red-light photodynamic therapy in the treatment of actinic keratosis in Chinese patients: a Singaporean experience

BackgroundThe incidence of skin cancers has been increasing in Singapore, owing to the country's location near the equator and its ageing population. Topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment method employing light and a topical photosensitizer to treat actinic keratosis (AK). Most published data to date on PDT have been drawn from studies of patient with Fitzpatrick skin phototypes I and II. AimTo evaluate the effectiveness of PDT in the treatment of AK in patients with skin phototype IV in Singapore. MethodsThis was a retrospective analysis of 13 East Asian patients with AK treated with PDT at the National Skin Centre, Singapore, from 2006 to 2013. ResultsThe overall clearance rate of AK at 3months was 81.8% (9 of 11 patients; the other 2 were lost to follow-up). Mild to moderate pain during therapy was a common adverse event. ConclusionsPDT is a useful treatment method for AK in East Asian patients with skin phototype IV. Further larger prospective studies will be needed to evaluate its overall efficacy in East Asian patients.