title: Efficacy of 3% diclofenac gel for the treatment of actinic keratoses: a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Actinic keratoses (AKs) are premalignant skin lesions caused by excessive sun exposure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the therapeutic efficacy of 3% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronan gel in the topical treatment of AK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-four lesions in 20 patients were evaluated. They were randomized to receive either the active treatment, 3% diclofenac in 2.5% hyaluronan gel or placebo, which consisted of the inactive gel vehicle, hyaluronan for a period of three months. The collected data were analyzed by using Student t- tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a reduction in the lesion size in 64.7% of diclofenac-treated lesions and 34.3% of control lesions during the three-month course of treatment. Only 9.3% of the lesions in the diclofenac group were completely cleared during three months of treatment. During the treatment, no significant side-effect was observed in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Considering the malignant potential of actinic keratoses and the importance of clearing them to prevent their transformation to squamous cell carcinoma, the efficacy of diclofenac gel seen in our study seems to be low. This treatment may be useful for patients who do not tolerate other, more effective kinds of treatment for actinic keratoses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. iraji@med.mui.ac.ir
authors.forename: Iraji
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fariba
authors.forename: Asilian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Siadat Amir
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hossein
authors.forename: Safavai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Atefeh
authors.forename: Seyed Afshin
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Atarzadeh Behbahan
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004008:Diclofenac / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005782:Gels; D006801:Humans; D007642:Keratosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005782:Gels; D004008:Diclofenac