Foley P, Pariser D, et al

Title: Patient satisfaction after treatment of basal cell carcinoma and actinic keratoses with MAL-PDT compared to previous other therapies.

Author: Foley P, Pariser D, Tarstedt M, Tope WD, Vinciullo C.

Journal Reference: JEADV  Vol. 19, Supplement 2, P08.80

Objective: to assess patient satisfaction with photodynamic therapy using methyl aminolevulinate cream (MAL, Metvix®) for actinic keratosis (AK) or basal cell carcinoma (BCC) compared with previous therapies.

Design: a retrospective analysis of data from six studies. All 404 adult patients (168 with BCC; 236, with AK lesions) had received photodynamic treatment (PDT) with MAL cream (160 mg/g) in two treatment sessions one week apart. Previously these patients had all received treatment by various standard therapies, predominantly surgery for BCC (52%) and cryotherapy for AK (60%). Data reviewed were the patient satisfaction (compared with previous therapies) results obtained at 3 months following the final MAL-PDT treatment

Key Results:

  • 62% of patients with BCC and 63% with AK preferred MAL-PDT to any previous treatment they had received.
  • 68% of subjects previously treated for BCC judged MAL-PDT better than surgery.
  • 64% of subjects previously treated for AK reported a preference for MAL-PDT over cryotherapy.

Conclusion: the majority of patients, with either basal cell carcinoma or actinic keratosis, prefer photodynamic therapy with MAL (Metvix®) to other standard treatments.