Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a form of nonsurgical cancer treatment available since the early 1990s that combines a photosensitizing medication with exposure to a laser or other specific light wavelength to kill cancer cells.
Photodynamic therapy is still evolving, both in terms of the types of cancer it is approved to treat and the specific drugs that are used. PDT is currently approved by The Food and Drug Administratin (FDA) for the treatment of certain tumors of the esophagus, lung, colon, breast, and certain skin cancers. The present review will concentrate on the use of PDT in dermatology.