New Methods for the Clinical Enhancement of Photodynamic Therapy

The prolonged incubation time of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) as well as the need for two treatments to achieve high efficacy have motivated physicians to experiment with treatment parameters and PDT enhancements in order to maximize results and practicality. This review explores recent published strategies including occlusion, temperature elevation, pretreatment with topical 5-FU, and microneedle or laser-assisted reduction of the stratum corneum barrier. All of these innovations improve efficacy, reduce the need for multiple treatments or both, although there are concomitant increases in post-procedure side effects.