Feasibility of 5-aminolevulinic acid mediated photodynamic therapy for male genital lichen sclerosus.

In this report, 5-aminolevulinic acid mediated topical photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) was firstly used to treat 3 male patients (26-39 years old) who suffered from male genital lichen sclerosus (MGLSc), all of who had a history of circumcision. Repeated ALA-PDT treatments were performed on these patients and achieved various degrees of improvement in signs and symptoms, especially in the sclerosis and subjective symptoms. Three patients showed 30%-70% of reduction of lesion size after treatments. The side effects of ALA-PDT were irradiation site pain and swelling, which disappeared quickly after irradiation without the need of medication. There was no recurrence or aggravation with at least 6 months of follow-up. This case report demonstrates that ALA-PDT is effective and well tolerated for MGLSc patients who have a history of circumcision. The true value of ALA-PDT for MGLSc deserves further study.