Q-switched neodymium : yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment of lentigo maligna

Lentigo maligna is a premalignant lesion of atypical melanocytes that typic ally arises on the head and neck of elderly patients, It is considered a me lanoma in situ with a significant risk for transformation to invasive lenti go maligna melanoma, Surgery is the preferred method of treatment; however, because of the advanced age of the typical patient with lentigo maligna, t he frequency of complicating medical problems, and the cosmetic or function al aspects of treatment, surgical excision is not always feasible. The purp ose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Q-switch ed neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser treatment of lentigo maligna, Ei ght patients were treated with 532 and/or 1064 nm wavelengths from the lase r, All patients showed a response to laser therapy, and 2 patients treated with 1 treatment from each wavelength had complete eradication of the LM, w ith no evidence of recurrence in 42 months. Further study is warranted, but Q-switched neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser is a promising alternat ive treatment for lentigo maligna.