title: Usefulness of Photodynamic Therapy as a Possible Therapeutic Alternative in the Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinoma.
abstract: Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common cancer in individuals with fair skin type (I-II) and steadily increasing in incidence (70% of skin malignancy). It is locally invasive but metastasis is usually very rare, with an estimated incidence of 0.0028%-0.55%. Conventional therapy is surgery, especially for the H region of the face and infiltrative lesions; in case of inoperable tumors, radiotherapy is a valid option. Recently, topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) has become an effective treatment in the management of superficial and small nodular BCC. PDT is a minimally invasive procedure that involves the administration of a photo-sensibilizing agent followed by irradiation at a pre-defined wavelength; this determines the creation of reactive oxygen species that specifically destroy target cells. The only major side effect is pain, reported by some patients during the irradiation. The high cure rate and excellent cosmetic outcome requires considering this possibility for the management of patients with both sporadic and hereditary BCC. In this article, an extensive review of the recent literature was made, in order to clarify the role of PDT as a possible alternative therapeutic option in the treatment of BCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Torino 10126, Italy. paola.savoia@unito.it.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Savoia
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Torino 10126, Italy. tommaso.deboli@alice.it.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Deboli
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Torino 10126, Italy. alberto.previgliano@unito.it.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Previgliano
authors.affiliation: Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin 10126, Italy. paolobroganelli@inwind.it.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Broganelli
mesh_terms: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010778:Photochemotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000622:Aminolevulinic Acid
keywords: PDT; basal cell carcinoma treatment; non-melanoma skin cancer; photodynamic therapy