Abstract

MEDINA, Mayerlim et al. Comparative study of the therapeutic efficiency between imiquimod 5% cream and lotion based on polyphenols in the treatment of actinic keratosis. AVFT [online]. 2015, vol.34, n.1, pp.16-20. ISSN 0798-0264.

Actinic keratosis (AK) presents as premalignant lesions confined to the epidermis, produced by ultraviolet rays, which can evolve to a highly metastatic cancer such as squamous cell carcinoma. Available treatments include surgical excision, criotherapy, chemicals peeling, phototherapy, retinoids, 5-fluoruracil and imiquimod. Even though they achieve significant remission rates, it is also certain that they have the potential to provoke undesirable side effects. There are no reports in previous scientific studies about the use of polyphenols in pharmacological treatment of actinic keratosis. The main objective of this study was to compare the therapeutic efficiency between 5% imiquimod cream and a lotion based on polyphenols in actinic keratosis treatment. For this a total of 56 patients were selected and assigned randomly to one of the following groups. Group I: received two three weeks cycles of a daily application of 5% Imiquimod cream with a 3 week resting period, + a daily application of sun protector during 16 weeks uninterrupted. Group II: received two daily applications of a 5% polyphenolic lotion during 16 weeks. Our results show that the polyphenolic lotion as efficient as imiquimod in the treatment of AK. The 30% of patients treated with imiquimod withdrew from treatment because of undesirable side effects; instead polyphenol treatment was well tolerated by all patients. The polyphenolic preparation was well tolerated by all the patients. In conclusion polyphenols are a new and safe alternative in the treatment of AK.

Keywords : Actinic keratosis; Imiquimod; Polyphenols; Squamous Cell Carcinoma.