It?s well-known that unprotected sun exposure significantly heightens risk for skin cancer, but a study published in the current issue of Dermatologic Surgery showed that a new topical cream can remove common pre-cancerous skin lesions with a reduced rate of recurrence compared with other therapies.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota evaluated 146 patients with actinic keratosis (AK) lesions on the face who were treated with imiquimod topical cream. Patients applied the cream to areas of the face or balding scalp two or three times a week for 16 weeks. Clinical follow-up occurred a year and half following treatment.
Facial AK lesions occur from chronic exposure to intense sunlight. Left untreated, AK can progress to skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma).
According to author and dermatologic surgeon Keith H. Loven, MD, the therapeutic action of imiquimod cream kills pre-cancerous cells and is believed to stimulate immune responses that inhibit formation of new AK lesions, potentially lowering downstream skin-cancer risk. AK can be considered a chronic disease since most patients develop new or recurrent lesions, said Loven. Most AK therapies do not address the underlying causes of the disease and don?t offer long-lasting benefit beyond the initial clearance of the AK lesions.
The study concluded that the majority of imiquimod-treated patients received long-term clinical benefits with a low recurrence rate of AK a year and half following treatment. Loven noted that at follow-up patients in the study had surprisingly low recurrence rates of 25 percent and 43 percent, respectively, in the three and two-times-per week treatment groups.
The results of this long-term study are consistent with the mechanism of imiquimod, which enhances immunity against abnormal, pre-cancerous cells, said Loven. The drug?s most important clinical benefit is its potential to lower the recurrence of AK and prevent tumor development.
According to published estimates, skin cancer continues to be on the rise in the U.S., despite extensive public education campaigns about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure. The American Cancer Society states that some one million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed every year – more than all other cancers combined.
As dermasurgeons work on the front-line against skin cancer, this study is further compelling evidence that anyone whose had a lot of sun exposure should be evaluated for AK at the first sign of any suspicious skin abnormality, said Rhoda S. Narins, MD, president of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS).