Evaluation of human papillomavirus DNA detection-guided aminolaevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy for the treatment of condyloma acuminata

•We evaluated the efficacy of ALA-PDT in different HPV infection status.•Multisite HPV-infected patients required more sessions of PDT.•Individuals with multitype HPV infection required more sessions to eliminate virus.•Patients with non-HR-HPV infection required fewer PDT sessions.•Combined ALA-PDT and HPV DNA detection was an effective strategy for CA treatment. Aminolaevulinic acid-mediated photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) is used to treat condyloma acuminata (CA), yielding a high clearance rate and low recurrence rate. Consecutive human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA detection can be used to dynamically monitor the therapeutic efficiency of PDT. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of ALA-PDT in the context of different HPV infection states. One hundred thirty-eight patients with HPV infection and visible anogenital warts were enrolled. Microwave or radiofrequency was used to remove visible lesions before PDT. HPV DNA detection was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction before each PDT session and at follow-up. Treatment was halted after the patient showed two negative results for HPV DNA detection in a row. Of the 138 patients enrolled in the study, 72 completed treatment. Multisite HPV-infected patients required more sessions of PDT than did single-site infected patients to reach the endpoint of treatment. Compared with patients with only external CA, individuals with internal CA required more sessions to eliminate HPV infection. The total number of PDT sessions performed in the multitype HPV-infected group was significantly higher than that in the single-type infected group. Patients with non-high-risk (HR)-HPV infection required fewer PDT sessions than did those with HR-HPV infection by the end of treatment. Sixty-nine patients were followed-up for at least 6 months, only 2.9% of whom showed recurrence. Combined ALA-PDT and HPV DNA detection was an effective strategy for the treatment of CA. Patients with multisite and multitype HPV infection required more PDT sessions to eliminate the virus.