A Prospective Study of Daylight Photodynamic Therapy for Treatment of Actinic Keratoses in an Irish Population

In a study conducted in Ireland, daylight photodynamic therapy (PDT) was evaluated for its efficacy and patient satisfaction in treating actinic keratoses (AKs) on the scalp and/or face. A total of 25 patients with grade 1 and/or 2 AKs were recruited. They were treated with 16% methyl ester of 5-aminolevulinic acid in a cream base and exposed to daylight for 2 hours. The primary outcome was the therapeutic response at a 2-week follow-up, and the secondary outcome was patient satisfaction. At baseline, the mean number of AKs was 6.12 (±2.01), which significantly reduced to a mean of 2.00 (±0.97) at follow-up, with a mean lesion response rate of 68.43% (±14.82). Pain during treatment was minimal, with 88% of patients reporting no or mild pain. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores increased slightly during treatment but decreased again at the 2-week follow-up. The most common side effects were erythema, scaling, itching, pain, and burning sensation, which subsided by 2 days post-treatment. The study concluded that daylight PDT is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for AKs in this Irish population, with minimal side effects.