Laser photodynamic treatment for in situ squamous cell carcinoma of the glans monitored by reflectance confocal microscopy

Abstract

While mutilating surgery can be avoided with non-surgical treatment of in situ squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT), this procedure is not followed by histological evaluation to verify the total removal of the lesion, leading to possible recurrence. We present the first case of in situ penile SCC treated with laser PDT, where the efficacy of the treatment was monitored by reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) using a handheld camera. In the future RCM may be regarded as a complementary technique to assess the efficacy of non-surgical treatment of mucous membrane cancers.

Keywords: confocal microscopy; glans; in situ squamous cell carcinoma; laser; methyl aminolevulinate; mucosal cancer; penis; photodynamic therapy.