What is PDT?
PDT is a non-surgical treatment of skin cancer or pre-cancerous lesions. It is a treatment for non-melanoma skin cancers.
It is effective and has several benefits over conventional treatment approaches:
- It is selective for cancerous and pre-cancerous tissue
- It treats small and big cancers all at the same time
- It is non-invasive and non-scarring
- It is as effective as surgery but superior to cryotherapy (freezing)
- It can be used repeatedly if necessary
- Cosmetic results are superior to all other comparable treatments
PDT is used to treat Actinic Keratosis, Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) and Bowens disease (superficial squamous cell carcinoma). Actinic Keratosis occurs most commonly on the face, the head (in balding men) and the forearms and hands. If left untreated these lesions can turn into skin cancer – that’s why we treat them.
The most common treatment for Actinic Keratosis is to freeze them, while skin cancers are usually removed surgically which obviously leads to scarring. This can be a major cosmetic problem. Thus PDT was developed
APPOINTMENT
How is PDT Performed?
- A special cream called “ALA” is applied to the lesion and then covered with a plastic dressing to allow it to be absorbed.
- Abnormal cells selectively absorb the cream faster than normal cells.
- After an incubation period of 1 to 3 hours the dressing is removed and the area is illuminated with a strong visible red light (635nm) for 15 minutes.
- The light activates the cream and this destroys all cells that have absorbed the cream – so it destroys only abnormal cells.
- The greater the sun-damage, the greater the reaction.
- Pain may be felt as abnormal cells are destroyed – so we give Stopayne/Myprodol 30 minutes before the treatment. Local anaesthetic may also be pre-injected in to the lesions.
- In the following 24 hours the treated area will feel like very severe sunburn.
- It is important to keep the area well moisturized by applying an emmollient regularly and if there is crusting/oozing then to use Bactroban/Fucidin twice per day for a few days.
- The skin will then peel off (like in sunburn) and heal completely.
- The cure rate with this treatment is comparable to that of surgery but the cosmetic outcome is always better.
