Photodynamic therapy for extramammary Paget's disease: A systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND

Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare intraepithelial adenocarcinoma that arises in areas rich in apocrine sweat glands. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive technique demonstrating clinical efficacy in various case reports and case series for the treatment of EMPD.

METHODS

A review of the current literature of patients with EMPD treated with PDT.

RESULTS

177 patients with 211 lesions were included in this review with an overall complete response rate of 59.7 %. Lesion size was correlated with the efficacy of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) PDT. Topical methyl-ALA had lower complete response rates compared to ALA. Systemic PDT with intravenous sodium porfimer had high response rates but can be associated with more adverse reactions. The efficacy of PDT was enhanced with the combination of other treatments such as surgery, imiquimod, or laser ablation. PDT was also shown to be effective for previously treated lesions, recurrent lesions, and select invasive lesions.

CONCLUSION

PDT can be a therapeutic option for EMPD patients. Given the lack of PDT guidelines, general recommendations for treatment are offered.