Imiquimod 3.75% For Field-Directed Therapy Of Actinic Keratosis: Results Of A Prospective Case-Series Study In Greece

Background Imiquimod 3.75% is a field-directed treatment for actinic keratosis that can detect and treat clinical and subclinical lesions across an entire sun-exposed field. The detection of subclinical lesions is evidenced by an increase in lesions to the maximum lesion count during treatment (L-max). We report clinical outcomes for the first 15 patients treated with imiquimod 3.75% in daily clinical practice in Greece. Methods Fifteen patients with actinic keratosis lesions were treated with imiquimod 3.75% in an outpatient setting in two 2-week treatment cycles separated by a 2-week treatment-free interval. Actinic keratosis lesions were counted before treatment, at the end of the first treatment cycle (Week 2; L-max), and 2 weeks after the second treatment cycle (Week 8). Local skin reactions (LSR) were also evaluated at Weeks 2 and 8. Results The median baseline actinic keratosis lesion count was 25, which increased to a median L-max of 29 at Week 2 and decreased to a median of 5 at Week 8. The median percentage and absolute reduction in actinic keratosis lesions from L-max to Week 8 were 87% and 23%, respectively. Most of the LSR were mild-to-moderate in intensity at Week 2 and had resolved by Week 8. Conclusion Imiquimod 3.75% effectively detected and cleared both the clinical and subclinical actinic keratosis lesions across the entire sun-exposed field in this cohort of Greek patients. Treatment was well tolerated.