Photodynamic Therapy Associated With Sonodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma

January 28, 2026 updated by: Ana Gabriela Salvio, University of Sao Paulo

Optimization of Photodynamic Therapy Through the Association With Sonodynamic Therapy for the Treatment of Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma

Evaluation of a therapeutic protocol based on the combination of photodynamic therapy and sonodynamic therapy, referred to as sonophotodynamic therapy. Since this new protocol is applied in a single day, it is called the single-visit Sono-PDT protocol. This protocol will be used for the treatment of nodular basal cell carcinoma lesions.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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.

Detailed Description

In the proposed treatment protocol, all the procedures of traditional PDT protocol will be maintained, with the addition of a dose of low-intensity therapeutic ultrasound immediately after the application of red light. Ultrasound, due to its greater ability to penetrate the skin, can help reach deeper tumor cells and thus improve treatment outcomes.

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 (Estimated)

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.
142

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 3

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 Locations

  • Brazil
    • São Paulo
      • Jaú, São Paulo, Brazil, 17210-080
        • Recruiting
        • Hospital Amaral Carvalho
        • Contact:

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults of both sexes, aged 18 years and older.
  • Histologically confirmed nodular basal cell carcinoma with lesion diameter ≤1.0 cm.
  • Participants with multiple lesions may be included, provided that each lesion meets all inclusion criteria.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Nodular basal cell carcinoma lesions >1.0 cm in diameter.
  • Known hypersensitivity or allergy to methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) or any excipients of the study medication.
  • Histological subtypes of infiltrative basal cell carcinoma, including micronodular, infiltrative, sclerodermiform (morpheaform), plano-cicatricial, or terebrant subtypes.
  • Porphyria or other disorders of porphyrin metabolism.
  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
  • Women of childbearing potential not using an acceptable method of contraception.
  • Presence of photosensitive diseases, including lupus erythematosus.
  • Any condition that, in the investigator's opinion, would interfere with study participation or safety.

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.
Active Comparator: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) protocol
In this arm, lesions will be treated with the conventional PDT protocol for this type of lesion.
Combination product: Control Arm (Conventional Therapy)
PDT protocol: This intervention consists of two therapeutic sessions performed on the same day. The first session involves the application of MAL (methyl aminolevulinate) cream to the skin tumor, followed by an incubation period of 3 hours. After this time, the lesion is illuminated for 20 minutes at an irradiance of 125 mW/cm² using the LINCE device. Following the illumination procedure, the second session begins with a new application of MAL cream and an additional 1.5 hours of incubation. After this period, illumination is performed using the same light parameters as in the first session. After each MAL application, an occlusive dressing composed of PVC film, aluminum foil, gauze, and adhesive tape is applied to the lesion area to prevent light exposure and degradation of the produced PpIX.
Experimental: Sono-Photodynamic Therapy (SonoPDT) protocol
In this arm, lesions will be treated with a modified treatment protocol called SonoPDT protocol.
Combination product: Experimental arm
SonoPDT protocol: This intervention consists of two therapeutic sessions performed on the same day. The first session involves the application of MAL (methyl aminolevulinate) cream to the skin tumor, followed by an incubation period of 3 hours. After this time, the lesion is illuminated for 20 minutes at an irradiance of 125 mW/cm² using the LINCE device. Immediately after illumination, the lesion will be irradiated with ultrasound (frequency: 1MHz, mode: pulsed, ultrasound intensity: 1.5 W/cm2, duty cycle: 50%, pulse frequency: 100 Hz) for 5 minutes. Following the sonication procedure, the second session begins with a new application of MAL cream with an incubation period of 1.5 hours. After this time, illumination and sonication are performed using the same excitation source parameters as in the first session.

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
Evaluation of the complete response rate after one month of treatment.
Time Frame: One month after the treatment was applied to the patient.
Complete response will be defined as the absence of clinical and/or histopathological signs of the tumor after one month of treatment.
One month after the treatment was applied to the patient.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Evaluation of the complete response rate and recurrence-free survival rate after six months of treatment.
Time Frame: Six months after the treatment was applied to the patient.
Complete response will be defined as the absence of clinical and/or histopathological evidence of the tumor. Recurrence-free survival at 6 months will be determined by the proportion of patients who show no recurrence of the lesion at the treated site or in adjacent areas within 6 months, relative to the total number of patients treated.
Six months after the treatment was applied to the patient.

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.
University of Sao Paulo

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.

General Publications

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.
November 24, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
December 1, 2026

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).
January 13, 2026

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.
January 28, 2026

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.
February 2, 2026

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.
February 2, 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.
January 28, 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.
January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

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.
  • 7.810.244
  • U1111-1330-4954 (Other Identifier: UTN (Universal Trial Number))

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

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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