Successful treatment of upper-left eyelid squamous cell carcinoma in an epidermodysplasia verruciformis patient by ALA-PDT/holmium laser combination therapy

Abstract

Epidermodysplasia verruciformis (EV) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. Individuals with EV are more susceptible to the development of cutaneous neoplasia in sun-exposed regions. This disease should be closely observed for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) or pre-cancerous lesions - if neoplasia is found, it should be removed. A 68-year-old woman with EV had a post-operative recurrent, invasive cSCC growing on her upper-left eyelid. Although the standard treatment for cSCC is surgical excision, it is challenging to reach the deepest regions. Herein, we reported a case of a recurrent, invasive cSCC effectively treated by a combination of non-invasive 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) and deep-penetrative holmium laser. The results were satisfactory without any adverse effects to the patient.

Keywords: 5-aminolevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy; Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma; Epidermodysplasia verruciformis; Holmium laser; Mutation.