Photodynamic Therapy to Remove Basal Cell Carcinoma?

European dermatologists have far more experience using Photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat basal cell carcinomas than American counterparts. Most of the clinical experience is based on Metvixia rather than Levulan. PDT can serve as a part of sequential nonsurgical therapies for treatment of superficial basal cell carcinoma, e.g. imiquimod. However, the only sure way of complete eradication of basal carcioma is via confirmation of clear margins through pathology of excised... more

Ruth2009, Studies show that for nodular BCC and for tumors greater than 1 cm, photodynamic therapy efficacy significantly decreases.  If you are really opposed to surgery, you may want to consider scraping and burning the area which is a procedure that lasts a few minutes (though the scar is usually not that cosmetically pleasing). Otherwise, consider reducing the size of the lesion with topical chemotherapy like imiquimod and then removing it surgically (which will give a smaller... more

Photodynamic therapy has been used for various cancerous and precancerous lesions. It would be more preferable for a superficial basal cell cancer rather than the nodular type you describe, although if the top of the lesion is shave off with a blade, then it can probably be finished off with photodynamic therapy or even a cream (e.g. imiquimod).