Pilot Study to Investigate Same-Day Diagnosis and Treatment of Basal Cell Carcinomas
Posted: Friday, February 28, 2020
Same-day diagnosis and treatment of basal cell carcinoma may have moved closer to realization as a result of an article in Cutis. A pilot study conducted by Orit Markowitz, MD, and Corinna Eleni Psomadakis, MBBS, of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York, detailed diagnoses by reflectance confocal microscopy and same-day treatment with noninvasive 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser.
“Our pilot study has contributed data to support the further investigation and use of the Nd:YAG laser to treat basal cell carcinoma in combination with early detection with noninvasive diagnosis for a more patient-driven approach,” stated the authors. “For some patients as well as for dermatologists, the potential for increased efficiency of same-day diagnosis and treatment might provide a clear advantage.”
The retrospective study included 16 patients with 17 total lesions diagnosed by reflectance confocal microscopy and treated with 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser at Mount Sinai Hospital. All lesions received one to three treatments, with intervals of 1 or 2 months. Of the 17 lesions in the study, 14 required only 1 treatment with 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser, 1 lesion required 2 treatments, and 2 lesions required 3 treatments. The average time between treatment and lesion clearance was 103 days, with a median of 64 days and a range of 48 to 371 days.
The authors noted that the results of this pilot study add to the evidence that same-day diagnosis and treatment is a realistic goal for physicians. The authors also recognized the benefit of a larger study to investigate the limits of immunosuppressed patients, who may require more than one treatment, and the long-term clearance of basal cell carcinoma in all patients.
Disclosure: The authors reported no conflict of interests.
