Trial reportPhotodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine2025
Can Urea 10% Promote Photosensitizer Uptake Before MAL-PDT for the Treatment of Facial Actinic Keratoses? Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Trial report in Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Can Urea 10% Promote Photosensitizer Uptake Before MAL-PDT for the Treatment of Facial Actinic Keratoses? Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial.Photodermatology, photoimmunology & photomedicine · 2025Trial
- Clinical characteristics and local recurrence risk in patients with multiple actinic keratoses: a retrospective clinical data analysis.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundActinic keratoses (AKs) are precancerous lesions that may progress to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Photodynamic therapy (PDT) with methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) is an established treatment, often preceded by mechanical curettage to enhance photosensitizer penetration. However, curettage is associated with pain and discomfort, necessitating alternative pretreatment strategies, also applicable in daylight PDT.
methodsThirty-six patients with symmetrical facial AKs were randomized to receive MAL-PDT on two contralateral areas: one pretreated with a 10% urea-based keratolytic compound (UBC) for 14 days and the other untreated (control). Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence, clinical outcomes, cosmetic results, and patient satisfaction were assessed. Statistical analyses included the Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney, and chi-squared tests (p ≤ 0.05).
resultsThe urea-pretreated group showed significantly higher fluorescence intensity (median: 7 [5-9]) vs. controls (median: 5 [3-6]; **p < 0.0001**), indicating improved MAL penetration. Both groups had significant AK reductions (**p = 0.02**). The reduction in Olsen grade I AKs was greater with UBC (**p < 0.0001**), while no significant differences were observed for grade II lesions. Tolerability and patient satisfaction were high, with no significant differences in pain scores, local skin reactions, or cosmetic outcomes.
conclusionsPretreatment with a 10% UBC enhances PpIX fluorescence and improves efficacy in grade I AKs when compared to no pretreatment. Thus, it provides a non-invasive pretreatment option with good efficacy in thin AKs, along with good patient satisfaction and safety.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.