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Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy Sep 2023To systematically review the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
To systematically review the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL).
METHODS
PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched for articles published by November 16, 2022, with no time restrictions. 'Cutaneous leishmaniasis' and 'photodynamic therapy' were searched using predefined search strings.
INCLUSION CRITERIA
(i) Randomized control trials; (ii) controlled clinical trials; (iii) case series; (iv) case reports; (v) participants were humans; (vi) clinical diagnosis was CL; (vii) treatment method used was PDT; and (viii) articles published in English.
RESULTS
In total, 303 articles were identified, including 14 papers meeting the criteria. The number of patients in each study ranged from 1 to 60 and the age ranged from 1 to 82 years. Aminolevulinic acid and methyl aminolevulinate were used as photosensitizers. Red light and sunlight were used as light sources. All reported satisfactory clinical effects. Side effects of treatment included burning sensation, pain and pigmentation after treatment. However, they were tolerable and temporary. The follow-up time ranged between 9 weeks and 24 months. A total of two patients recurred, but one did not recur after another round of PDT during the follow-up period.
CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests that PDT is a safe and effective method for the treatment of CL, with tolerable side effects and good efficacy. As an alternative treatment method of CL, PDT has great potential. However, to verify the efficacy and specific mechanism of PDT for the optimal treatment strategy of CL, further research with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up times are needed.
Topics: Humans; Infant; Child, Preschool; Child; Adolescent; Young Adult; Adult; Middle Aged; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Photosensitizing Agents; Photochemotherapy; Aminolevulinic Acid; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 37245683
DOI: 10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103627