Loading
Aminolevulinic acid is painted on sun-damaged skin and then activated with a lamp, destroying actinic keratoses before they can become skin cancer; in Europe the gel is also approved for superficial basal cell carcinoma.
Answer a few questions from a report and read the guideline statement that applies, quoted word for word with its source. Educational aids to prepare for an appointment, not advice.
Levulan Kerastick (aminolevulinic acid 20% solution) with BLU-U blue light was approved in December 1999 for actinic keratoses of the face and scalp; Ameluz (10% nanoemulsion gel) with the BF-RhodoLED red lamp followed in May 2016 for lesion- and field-directed treatment of mild to moderate actinic keratosis, on three randomised trials with complete clearance in the majority of patients. The EU authorised Ameluz in 2011 and extended it in 2017 to superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma unsuitable for surgery. Photodynamic therapy is a field treatment for precancerous skin; pain during illumination and local erythema are expected. Oral aminolevulinic acid (Gleolan) for fluorescence-guided glioma surgery is an imaging agent covered elsewhere.
Taken up by dysplastic keratinocytes and converted to protoporphyrin IX, which on illumination with blue (Levulan) or red (Ameluz) light generates singlet oxygen and destroys the lesion.
1.Aminolevulinic acid (topical, for photodynamic therapy) slips into a pocket on its target.
| Region | Year | Indication |
|---|---|---|
| US | 1999 | Actinic keratoses of the face and scalp with blue-light photodynamic therapy (Levulan Kerastick) |
| US | 2016 | Mild to moderate actinic keratosis of face and scalp with red-light PDT (Ameluz) |
| EU | 2011 | Actinic keratosis; superficial and nodular basal cell carcinoma added 2017 (Ameluz) |
Country and place are remembered in this browser only. A postcode is sent to OpenStreetMap's Nominatim service to find coordinates when you press the button; nothing else leaves your device.
Query for this drug: (TITLE:"Aminolevulinic acid" OR ABSTRACT:"Aminolevulinic acid" OR TITLE:"topical, for photodynamic therapy" OR ABSTRACT:"topical, for photodynamic therapy" OR TITLE:"Levulan Kerastick" OR ABSTRACT:"Levulan Kerastick" OR TITLE:"Ameluz" OR ABSTRACT:"Ameluz" OR TITLE:"5-ALA" OR ABSTRACT:"5-ALA" OR TITLE:"ALA HCl" OR ABSTRACT:"ALA HCl") AND (cancer OR tumor OR tumour OR oncology OR carcinoma OR lymphoma OR leukemia OR leukaemia OR myeloma OR sarcoma OR melanoma OR glioma). Results are unfiltered search hits about Aminolevulinic acid (topical, for photodynamic therapy), not a curated reading list.
Shares Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types) and the tag prevention.
Shares Safety and Efficacy Study for the Treatment of Non-Aggressive Basal Cell Carcinoma With Photodynamic Therapy, Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Photodynamic therapy lasers and light sources, Basal cell carcinoma.
Shares Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types) and the tag prevention.
Shares Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Photodynamic therapy lasers and light sources, Basal cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types).
Shares Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types).
Shares Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Photodynamic therapy lasers and light sources, Basal cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types).
Shares Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Bowen's disease (squamous cell carcinoma in situ), Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma.
Shares Creams, light and cold for basal cell carcinoma, Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Basal cell carcinoma, Skin cancer (all types).