PDT superior to cryotherapy for clearing actinic keratoses

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) provided a better chance of complete lesion clearance in the treatment of actinic keratoses (AKs) when compared to treatment with cyrotherapy, according to results of a recent study.

Researchers from the UC Davis Health System, Davis, California, extracted data from MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Knowledge and the Cochrane Central Register, according to the study. They found four studies that qualified for meta-analysis, and the only comparator for which meta-analysis was performed was cryotherapy. There were 641 participants; 2,174 AKs were treated with cryotherapy, while 2,170 AKs were treated with PDT.

The pooled relative risk for complete response - lesion clearance - at three months after treatment with PDT was 1.14 (95 percent confidence interval, 1.11-1.18) compared to cyrotherapy. A visual inspection of a funnel plot showed no publication bias, which was confirmed by the Begg test (P=0.80).

“Photodynamic therapy has a 14 percent better chance of complete lesion clearance at three months after treatment than cryotherapy for thin AKs on the face and scalp,” study authors concluded.

The study was published online Aug. 27 in JAMA Dermatology. 

Related content:

5 clinical pearls for treating facial actinic keratoses

PDT uses broaden as more data emerges

Guidelines aim to standardize, advance AK treatments