5% Imiquimod Cream in the Treatment of Bowen's Disease

Lee, Kyung Real; Kim, Doo Hwan; Yoon, Moon Soo

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Bowen's disease is a challenging condition to treat because lesions often affect the elderly who are usually intolerable to invasive treatment modalities and lesions are often located at sites that heal poorly.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and the safety of 5% imiquimod cream for the treatment of Bowen's disease.
METHODS
Eleven patients with biopsy-proven Bowen's disease were treated with once-daily or twice-daily self- application of 5% imiquimod cream for a maximum of 16 weeks.
RESULTS
Nine of ten (90%) patients who completed the treatment schedule showed complete clinicopathologic regression. One (11%) patient showed recurrence of Bowen's disease on the treated site. 5% imiquimod cream was generally well-tolerated and no serious side effects were observed.
CONCLUSION
5% imiquimod cream appears to be an effective modality for treatment of Bowen's disease and might represent a valuable alternative to surgery or other invasive treatment methods.