Actinic keratoses are small, red, rough patches that may feel like dry, sandpaper skin. They are a direct results of ultraviolet radiation, which is why they sometimes occur on sun-exposed areas, comparable to the face, arms, and hands.
Why is actinic keratosis a priority? If left untreated, some actinic keratoses can grow to be squamous cell skin cancer. Actinic keratosis may develop in roughly 40% of white patients over the age of fifty, making it probably the most common skin disease on this population. This is one of the common reasons people visit a dermatologist.
Field-directed treatment for multiple actinic keratosis
Cryotherapy, or the targeted application of liquid nitrogen, is usually used to treat individual lesions. But what if there are various scattered actinic keratoses on the face or hands? This is when field-directed therapy—using a treatment method to treat a complete area of ​​skin—could be helpful.
Several field-directed treatments can be found.
- A topical cream containing fluorouracil, a chemotherapy drug, works by disrupting DNA synthesis and thereby destroying actinic keratosis cells. It could be applied at home and is often used twice a day for 2 to 4 weeks.
- Topical imiquimod cream stimulates a neighborhood immune response within the skin, which destroys actinic keratosis cells. It could be applied at home and is often used two to thrice every week for as much as 16 weeks, making it an extended course of treatment than topical fluorouracil.
- Topical inginol mebutate gel actinic keratosis injures two vital components of cells—mitochondria (the powerhouse of cells) and plasma membranes (gateway components of cells)—which results in cell destruction. This is often applied at home for 3 consecutive days. Despite being convenient, many prescription plans don't cover this drug, making the out-of-pocket cost quite expensive.
- Photodynamic therapy uses light to activate a drug that's applied to the skin. This results in the destruction of actinic keratosis cells. It is an in-office procedure that's performed in a day. This is a very good option for many who prefer not to use creams at home.
All of those treatments are sometimes utilized by dermatologists, but there aren't any clear guidelines on which treatment to prioritize.
New study compares effectiveness of field-directed treatments
An interesting one the study Recently published New England Journal of Medicine An attempt was made to find out how effectively each of those 4 field-directed therapies treat multiple actinic keratoses. In this study, 624 patients with multiple actinic keratosis were randomized to treatment with one among the 4 field-directed therapies described above.
The study's primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who had a minimum of a 75% reduction within the variety of actinic keratoses after one yr. The study showed that the proportion of patients achieving this goal was significantly higher in those treated with topical fluorouracil (75%) than in those treated with topical imicomod (54%). were treated with photodynamic therapy (38%), and topical inginol mebutate (38%). 29%).
This seminal study highlights the vital role of field-directed treatment of actinic keratosis in reducing an individual's risk of squamous cell skin cancer.
Although this study found topical fluorouracil cream to be probably the most effective agent, other treatments should play a job. Each treatment has benefits and downsides when it comes to time and price, which can affect individual preferences. If you've got multiple actinic keratoses, refer to your dermatologist to seek out out which treatment is correct for you.
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