Long-term Follow-up of In situ Extramammary Paget's Disease in Asian Skin Types IV/V Treated with Photodynamic Therapy

Photodynamic therapy is a potentially advantageous treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers. We evaluated the clinical response, recurrence and adverse events of photodynamic therapy for in situ extramammary Paget's disease in 14 male and 3 female Chinese patients with 21 lesions. Topical 20% 5-aminolevulinic acid was applied for 6 h. Each lesion was irradiated with 633 nm red light three times, I week apart, at a total dose of 339 J/cm(2), followed by three assessments at 6,12 and 24 months. Overall complete response (CR) rates were 52.4%, 42.9%, and 33.3% at 6,12 and 24 months, respectively. The CR rate was significantly higher in scrotal lesions (66.6%) than in non-scrotal lesions (8.3%). The overall recurrence rate was 50%. The highest CR rate was for the lesions <4 cm in diameter (62.5%), followed by those 4-8 cm (33.3%) and >8 cm (0%). Most adverse events were well tolerated. In conclusion, photodynamic therapy for extramammary Paget's disease is not recommended as the first option except for scrotal cases or lesions <4 cm in diameter.