Onychomycosis: management and treatment. Proceedings of a clinical roundtable.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Patrick S Carney.
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Multiple options are available for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). Each therapy has its own idiosyncrasies and risks, and not every modality is appropriate for every patient. Physician experience and clinical factors such as patient demographics, concerns, reason for the office visit, and lifestyle, as well as the pros and cons of each treatment modality, must be considered when developing customized rational treatment programs.
Successful treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) requires an understanding of available treatments and matching those treatments with each patient's disease severity, lifestyle, insurance coverage, and primary reason for the physician visit. Cryotherapy and other destructive strategies are optimal for hypertrophic and clearly delineated lesions, but they may not address subclinical lesions and are associated with risk of scarring, infection, and pigmentary changes. Topical therapies such as the fluorouracil creams are appropriate for treating large regions of affected skin but are associated with application-site irritation. A combination of destructive and topical approaches may benefit patients with multiple lesion pathologies.
Several formulations and concentrations of topical fluorouracil have received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK). The most commonly used are the fluorouracil 5% and 0.5% creams. In clinical trials, these formulations have demonstrated a marked ability to partially and completely eradicate AK lesions. Application site irritation, erythema, and burning are common side effects of both formulations, but comparative data suggest that the fluorouracil 0.5% cream is more cost-effective and may be safer, more tolerable, and as efficacious as fluorouracil 5% cream.