Patient Perception of Imiquimod Treatment for Actinic Keratosis and Superficial Basal Cell Carcinoma in 202 Patients.
OBJECTIVE
To document the impact on patient-reported outcomes and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of treatment with imiquimod cream in patients with actinic keratosis (AK) and superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC).


METHODS
This open-label, multicenter study included AK and sBCC patients eligible for treatment with imiquimod 5% cream. HRQoL was measured by the Skindex-17 and the Skin Cancer Index (SCI) and treatment satisfaction by the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication.


RESULTS
118 AK patients and 84 patients with sBCC were included. Low baseline HRQoL impairment was found on both questionnaires, which remained low after treatment, except for a small dip at the end of the application period.


CONCLUSIONS
Imiquimod 5% cream treatment has no clinically relevant HRQoL impact in AK and sBCC patients according to the Skindex-17 and SCI. The effect of imiquimod treatment on HRQoL may be limited or these questionnaires do not fully capture relevant issues, such as fear of recurrence.
Dermatology Department, Erasmus MC University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Rick
R
Waalboer-Spuij
Cynthia
C
Holterhues
Simone
S
van Hattem
Marie Louise A
ML
Schuttelaar
Menno T W
MT
Gaastra
Daniëlle I M
DI
Kuijpers
Loes M
LM
Hollestein
Tamar E C
TE
Nijsten
D000368:Aged; D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077271:Imiquimod; D055623:Keratosis, Actinic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D063465:Skin Cream / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077271:Imiquimod