Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 7, 2026
Anterior High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography in the Diagnosis and Therapeutic Monitoring of Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia
Published on: August 9, 2024
Clearance of a thick invasive squamous cell carcinoma after multiple treatments with topical photodynamic therapy
Qiang Li1, Tianwen Gao, Heather Ann Long
1Department of Dermatology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. qiangli@fmmu.edu.cn
Objective:
Tumor depth is the limiting factor for topical photodynamic therapy (PDT) treating cutaneous invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The thickness of < 2-3 mm below the epidermis is the currently recommended effective response depth in nonmelanoma skin cancers. We report an unusual outgrowing SCC with a tumor depth of 5.5 mm, which was successfully treated with PDT.
Methods:
Topical 20% (wt/wt) 5-aminolaevulinic acid emulsion was applied for 6 h before irradiation with 633-nm red light. The lesion was irradiated 7 times, 1 week apart, at a total dose of 791 J/cm(2).
Results:
Twelve months later, histologic and clinical examination showed a complete remission and no local or systemic metastases. No serious side effects occurred, and the cosmetic outcome was excellent.
Conclusion:
PDT may offer a noninvasive, well-tolerated, and effective therapy for inoperable low-risk SCC with an outgrowing pattern. It suggests that tumor depth is not an absolute predictor, but only a suggested reference.
