Group items tagged

Recurrence rate of superficial basal cell carcinoma following treatment with imiquimod 5% cream: conclusion of a 5-year long-term follow-up study in Europe. by Harald Gollnick

The estimate of overall treatment success for all treated patients at the end of follow-up was 77.9% (80.9% considering histology). The data support clinical assessment of initial response as predictive of long-term outcome. Most of the recurrences occurred early, indicating that careful follow-up is important during the first year after treatment.

The initial sBCC clearance rate was 90% (12-week post treatment), whereas the proportion of subjects who were clinically clear at 2 years (current time point) was estimated to be 79.4%. 

The initial sBCC clearance rate was 90% (12-week post treatment), whereas the proportion of subjects who were clinically clear at 2 years (current time point) was estimated to be 79.4%.

Clinical clearance rate at 1, 2 and 3 years were 94, 76 and 70%, respectively. We conclude that imiquimod seems to be an appropriate therapeutic alternative for the treatment of recurrent BCC in patients with associated co-morbidities.

The proportion of subjects who were clinically clear at the 2-year follow-up visit was estimated to be 82.0%. Imiquimod was tolerated when applied daily, with erythema reported for all subjects participating in the study. The recurrence rate observed suggests that once daily dosing and 5×/week dosing yield similar clearance rates, but daily dosing increases local skin reactions.

There is reasonable evidence that the use of imiquimod for small (<2 cm) superficial BCC that occur other than on the face provides outcomes only marginally less satisfactory than surgery. There would be a place for imiquimod in treating patients with frequent multiple primary lesions when access to surgery is difficult or where clinical judgment may be influenced by patient factors as reported in some of the studies, eg, where patients may have contraindications to surgery.  It was noted that if recurrences occurred in this study they mostly occurred during the first 9 months after the end of treatment. The initial response was therefore predictive of long-term outcome so these authors recommend and encourage continued monitoring of skin lesions.

To date one long-term study indicates a treatment success rate of 78%-81% and that initial response is a predictor of long-term outcome. Recurrences tend to occur within the first year after treatment. Future research will compare this preparation to the gold standard treatment for superficial BCC - surgical excision.

The proportion of subjects who were clinically clear at the 2-year follow-up visit was estimated to be 82.0%. Imiquimod was tolerated when applied daily, with erythema reported for all subjects participating in the study. The recurrence rate observed suggests that once daily dosing and 5x/week dosing yield similar clearance rates, but daily dosing increases local skin reactions.

PDF, Free full text article... We found that 5% imiquimod cream is aneffective treatment option for superficial and nodularbasal cell carcinomas, giving a clearance rate of89.5% at an average of 39 months of follow up.   Dr Yin Vun, Siller Medical, 9th Floor, SilvertonPlace, 101 Wickham Terrace, Brisbane, Qld 4000, Australia.

Journal of Skin CancerVolume 2011 (2011), Article ID 571734, 6 pagesdoi:10.1155/2011/571734 © 2011 Mary H. Lien and Vernon K. Sondak.