Photodynamic therapy of cutaneous lymphoma using 5-aminolevulinic acid topical application

BACKGROUND. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with topical application of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is a new and effective modality for treatment of superficial basal and squamous cell carcinomas. OBJECTIVE. We present the kinetics of ALA-induced protoporphyrin DC (PP) accumulation and the results of ALA PDT treatment on two patients with different stages (stage I and stage III) of mycosis fungoides (MF)-type cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). METHODS. ALA-Decoderm cream was applied to the lesions for 16 hours. Spectrofluorescence measurements of PP accumulation were carried out before, during, and 1 hour after photoirradiation (580-720 nm) using the VersaLight system. RESULTS. Different patterns of PP fluorescence kinetics were observed in patients with early and advanced stages of the disease. During photoirradiation the intensity of fluorescence decreased depending on the lesion thickness. One hour after the photoirradiation procedure no PP fluorescence was observed in the stage I MF lesion, while in the thick stage III MF lesions, PP fluorescence reappeared; after an additional 10-15 minutes of irradiation PP fluorescence disappeared. Complete response with excellent cosmetic results was observed in the stage I lesion after a single irradiation with a light dose of 170 J/cm(2); in five stage III lesions, complete response was achieved after fractionated irradiation with a total light dose of 380 J/cm(2) (follow-up at 27 and 24 months, respectively). CONCLUSION. The results showed a high response of both stage I and stage III MF lesions to ALA PDT. This modality appears to be very effective and can be used successfully for MF treatment.