Treatment of cutaneous tumors with topical 5 percent imiquimod cream

INTRODUCTION: There are various approaches to the treatment of cutaneous tumors; one of them is treatment with imiquimod, a synthetic toll-like receptor agonist with a low molecular weight that offers a topical, noninvasive, and non-surgical therapeutic option. The main objective of our study was to provide data on 89 patients who used a 5 percent imiquimod cream for the treatment of cutaneous tumors at the Cutaneous Oncology Group of the Dermatology Department of Hospital das Clinicas from 2003 to 2008. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, we present our experience in the treatment of 123 cutaneous tumors of various types, including basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), Bowen's disease, erythroplasia of Queyrat, Paget's disease, and trichoepithelioma, with 5 percent imiquimod cream from 2003 to 2008 in the Cutaneous Oncology Group of the Dermatology Department of Hospital das Clinicas. Patients were divided into two separate groups according to their diagnosis and comorbidities; these comorbidities included epidermodysplasia verruciformis, xeroderma pigmentosum, albinism, basal cell nevus syndrome, Brooke-Spiegler syndrome, HIV, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell lymphoma, and kidney transplantation. Treatment duration, response to imiquimod, follow-up, recurrence, and local and systemic reactions associated with use of the drug were analyzed. Epidemiological data were obtained and cure rates were calculated. RESULTS: The ratio of women to men was 1.28:1, and the mean age was 63.1 years. Tumors were located mainly on the face, back, trunk, and legs. For patients with comorbidities, the overall cure rate was 38 percent. These specific patients demonstrated cure rates of 83.5 percent for superficial BCC and 50 percent for Bowen's disease. Aggressive BCC and superficial and nodular BCC did not present a good response to treatment. Trichoepitheliomas and nodular BCC showed a partial response, and erythroplasia of Queyrat showed ...

Campanha voluntária em comunidades carentes para diagnóstico precoce da moléstia de Hansen: integração docente, discente e assistencial / Voluntary campaign in needy communities in order to acomplish early diagnosis of Hansen disease: integration into teaching staff, student and social service

Objetivo: Comparação do número de doentes de hanseníase verificado nas campanhas realizadas em comunidades carentes de São Paulo com os dados do Minitério da Saúde e da Organização Mundial da Saúde; e também , com os verificados nas campanhas realizadas em três cidades do Acre...

Objective: comparison between the number of patients with Hansen disease obtained in this analysis performed in the State of São Paulo and the number found by the Ministry of health and World Health and World Health Organization, as well as the data from three campaigns carried out in the State of Acre...