Brief ReportTopical imiquimod treatment of lentigo maligna: Clinical and histologic evaluation
Section snippets
Case reports
An 80-year-old-woman presented with an extensive lentigo maligna of the face. It evolved over 20 years, and she had undergone 11 surgical procedures to treat the initial lentigo maligna and recurrences. The last intervention before presentation at our hospital was in 1999 when histopathological examination confirmed a transformation to melanoma with 0.3 mm of Breslow and Clark level II. In November 2000, the whole left cheek was pigmented including the lower eyelid, with some hypopigmented
Discussion
Imiquimod is an immune response-modifying drug that demonstrates potent antiviral and antitumor activity.1 It is usually prescribed for the treatment of external genital and perianal warts.2 It induces the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the skin by monocytes-macrophage.3., 4. It favours Th1 balance, production of natural killer cells, and cytotoxic T lymphocytes against viral agents and tumorr cells. Based on the hypothesis that topical imiquimod may promote an immune response against
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Cited by (36)
A quantitative systematic review of the efficacy of imiquimod monotherapy for lentigo maligna and an analysis of factors that affect tumor clearance
2015, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyCitation Excerpt :The cases spanned from 2000 to 2014, with follow-up time ranging from 0 to 48.6 months. Of 347 included tumors, 110 came from case studies and 237 from cohort studies (including 42 from 1 arm of a randomized controlled trial).14-18,20-59 Ten studies (6 case studies and 4 cohorts) addressed both primary and recurrent tumors.27,30,31,38,42,46,52,57-59
Melanoma in situ: Part II. Histopathology, treatment, and clinical management
2015, Journal of the American Academy of DermatologyCitation Excerpt :Its use for MIS is considered off-label but has been described in the literature.56 Clearance rates with imiquimod vary widely, with some MIS lesions failing to respond at all and others clearing 100% with no evidence of recurrence.57-69 Treatment regimens also varied widely, with some using the medication several days a week and others using it only once weekly.
Lentigo maligna
2013, Actas Dermo-SifiliograficasLentigines, nevi, and melanomas
2009, Weedon's Skin Pathology: Third EditionManaging Melanoma In Situ
2010, Seminars in Cutaneous Medicine and Surgery
Funding sources: None.
Conflicts of interest: None identified.