Photodynamic therapy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Photodynamic therapy has traditionally been used and approved in many countries for the treatment of intraepithelial forms of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and precancer – actinic keratosis and Bowen’s disease. However, recently a number of studies have been conducted that suggest a possible expansion of the boundaries of photodynamic therapy for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Several authors have suggested a therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy for superficial, microinvasive and well-differentiated cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. We reviewed publications on the website https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov devoted to this problem. Analysis of the research results shows that photodynamic therapy can achieve high efficiency and good cosmetic results in patients with microinvasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and in some cases even with an invasive form, and can be considered as an alternative to surgical treatment in patients with contraindications to surgery.