Use of Jet-injection in Photodynamic Therapy for Basal Cell Carcinoma

May 21, 2026 updated by: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Jet-Injection Assisted Photodynamic Therapy for Basal Cell Carcinoma

The purpose of this study is to find out whether injecting ALA into the skin with a jet-injection device and activating the drug with light is a safe treatment that causes few or mild side effects in people with basal cell carcinoma.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
16

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10065
        • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects who meet all of the following criteria are eligible to participate in this study

  • Histologically-verified, previously untreated low-risk mixed superficial and nodular BCC(s) or nodular BCC(s) < 1 cm in diameter on scalp, extremities, or trunk.
  • ≥ 18 years of age
  • Owner of a smartphone (Android or iPhone). Patients without a working smartphone will not be considered eligible for this study.
  • Being able to download application on their phone
  • Being able to take pictures of their treated BCC(s) (with or without assistance)
  • Female subjects of childbearing potential must be confirmed not pregnant by a negative urine pregnancy test prior to trial treatment. (Female subjects are considered of childbearing potential unless they have been hysterectomized or have undergone tubal ligation or have been post-menopausal for at least one year prior to the first visit)
  • Legally competent, able to give verbal and written informed consent
  • Subject in good general health and willing to participate comply with protocol requirements.
  • Superficial and nodular BCC(s)

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects meeting any one of the following criteria are not eligible to participate in this study

  • High-risk BCC(s) (H area, >1 cm in M area, or >2 cm in L area)
  • BCC(s) subtype morpheaform
  • Diagnosed with gorlin syndrome
  • Receiving immunosuppressive medication
  • Subjects with a known allergy to ALA
  • Individuals with other interfering skin diseases in the area of treatment
  • Subjects with a tattoo in the treatment area which may interfere with or confound the evaluation of the study
  • Subjects with a history of keloids which is deemed clinically relevant in the opinion of the investigator
  • Lactating or pregnant women
  • Patient who are taking prescription pain medications or can not stop OTC pain medications.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Tumor Excision, No Illumination
The first four patients will not receive illumination but have their tumors excised after jet-injection (AirGent2.0) of ALA (Levulan Kerastick), and 3h incubation; this will be done to assess biodistribution of ALA through fluorescence microscopy.
Drug: Jet injection of ALA
The Basal Cell Carcinoma/BCC tumor and a 5 mm margin will be injected with a grid of 80 microliters of 20% ALA at 5-8.5 mm between each injection (30-50% overlap).
Procedure: Surgical excision
In the first 4 patients, the tumor will be excised according to national guidelines after 3h incubation (+/- 30 min is accepted).
Other: Incubation
After injection of ALA, the tumor will be occluded with a light proof dressing and incubated for 3h (+/- 30 min).
Experimental: PDT treatment with jet-injections
Patient 5-16 will receive PDT treatment with jet-injections of ALA followed by 3h incubation under occlusion and thereafter illumination with red light (total dose 75 J/cm2). In patient 5-16, the PDT treatment will be repeated after 2 weeks.
Drug: Jet injection of ALA
The Basal Cell Carcinoma/BCC tumor and a 5 mm margin will be injected with a grid of 80 microliters of 20% ALA at 5-8.5 mm between each injection (30-50% overlap).
Procedure: Surgical excision
In the first 4 patients, the tumor will be excised according to national guidelines after 3h incubation (+/- 30 min is accepted).
Other: Incubation
After injection of ALA, the tumor will be occluded with a light proof dressing and incubated for 3h (+/- 30 min).
Procedure: Illumination
For patients 5-16,after 3h incubation (+/- 30 min), the tumor will be illuminated with red light corresponding to a dose of 75 J/cm2 570- 670 nm or equivalent dose of narrowband red light. The intervention will be repeated at after 14 days in patient 5-16. If the wound is not healed at two weeks, the treatment may be postponed to allow healing (patient 5-16).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Evaluation of Local Skin Responses on Day 0
Time Frame: Baseline (Day 0)
Clinical evaluation of local skin responses will be performed at Day 0 (PDT treatment #1). The LSR/Local Skin Responses Grading Scale is an objective tool allowing practicing dermatologists to characterize and compare LSRs to existing and, potentially, future therapies. Characteristics of skin responses are identified and allocated a numeric grade of severity (0-4, with 4 being the highest grade of severity).
Baseline (Day 0)
Clinical Evaluation of Local Skin Responses on Day 3
Time Frame: Day 3
Clinical evaluation of local skin responses will be performed at Day 3. The LSR/Local Skin Responses Grading Scale is an objective tool allowing practicing dermatologists to characterize and compare LSRs to existing and, potentially, future therapies. Characteristics of skin responses are identified and allocated a numeric grade of severity (0-4, with 4 being the highest grade of severity).
Day 3
Clinical Evaluation of Local Skin Responses on Day 14
Time Frame: Day 14
Clinical evaluation of local skin responses will be performed at Day 14 (PDT treatment #2). The LSR/Local Skin Responses Grading Scale is an objective tool allowing practicing dermatologists to characterize and compare LSRs to existing and, potentially, future therapies. Characteristics of skin responses are identified and allocated a numeric grade of severity (0-4, with 4 being the highest grade of severity).
Day 14
Clinical Evaluation of Local Skin Responses on Day 17
Time Frame: Day 17
Clinical evaluation of local skin responses will be performed at Day 17. The LSR/Local Skin Responses Grading Scale is an objective tool allowing practicing dermatologists to characterize and compare LSRs to existing and, potentially, future therapies. Characteristics of skin responses are identified and allocated a numeric grade of severity (0-4, with 4 being the highest grade of severity).
Day 17
Clinical Evaluation of Local Skin Responses 3 Months Post Treatment
Time Frame: 3 months after treatment
Clinical evaluation of local skin responses will be performed 3 months post treatment. The LSR/Local Skin Responses Grading Scale is an objective tool allowing practicing dermatologists to characterize and compare LSRs to existing and, potentially, future therapies. Characteristics of skin responses are identified and allocated a numeric grade of severity (0-4, with 4 being the highest grade of severity).
3 months after treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Anthony Rossi, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 9, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
April 4, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 4, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 10, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 16, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 17, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 21, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 20-270

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center supports the international committee of medical journal editors (ICMJE) and the ethical obligation of responsible sharing of data from clinical trials. The protocol summary, a statistical summary, and informed consent form will be made available on clinicaltrials.gov when required as a condition of Federal awards, other agreements supporting the research and/or as otherwise required. Requests for deidentified individual participant data can be made beginning 12 months after publication and for up to 36 months post publication. Deidentified individual participant data reported in the manuscript will be shared under the terms of a Data Use Agreement and may only be used for approved proposals. Requests may be made to: crdatashare@mskcc.org.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

Yes

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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