title: Five-year recurrence rate of lentigo maligna after treatment with imiquimod.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The current recommended treatment for lentigo maligna (LM) is surgical resection, which can cause significant scarring. The reported recurrence rate after Mohs micrographic surgery is 0-6·25%. There is little published data on long-term outcome after imiquimod therapy. Several reports record progression to LM melanoma during treatment. Clinical assessment of clearance is difficult. Histological confirmation is preferred but risks sampling error and missing areas of invasion. Confocal microscopy can be used to assess entire lesions.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the 5-year recurrence rate of LM after imiquimod treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty patients with LM were treated with imiquimod between 2002 and 2007. Their previous treatments included cryotherapy, incomplete surgical excision and radiotherapy. All applied imiquimod three times per week for 6 weeks; 25 (62·5%) experienced inflammation. The other 15 (37·5%) then applied imiquimod five times per week for a further 4 weeks; all experienced inflammation. All patients were subsequently examined and biopsied. Clinical clearance did not always correlate with histological clearance. Eleven patients (27·5%) had residual LM on histology and underwent surgical excision. At the time of this study, three patients had died (deaths were unrelated to LM). Eighteen of the 27 patients (66·7%) who were clear on biopsy after imiquimod attended for the study and were assessed using confocal microscopy (Vivascope 1500 and 3000).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The recurrence rate of LM in patients who were clear on histology after imiquimod treatment who attended for this follow-up study was 0% (n = 18).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Imiquimod is an effective long-term treatment for LM. Its use avoids potentially disfiguring surgical resection.
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Surgery and Laser Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, 3rd Floor, Staircase C, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, U.K.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kai
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kings College London, London, U.K.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kings College London, London, U.K.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Surgery and Laser Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, 3rd Floor, Staircase C, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, U.K.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mallipeddi
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Surgery and Laser Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, 3rd Floor, Staircase C, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, U.K.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Barlow
authors.affiliation: Dermatological Surgery and Laser Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, 3rd Floor, Staircase C, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7EH, U.K.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Craythorne
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000634:Aminoquinolines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005153:Facial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018327:Hutchinson's Melanotic Freckle / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000077271:Imiquimod; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000209:etiology; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000634:Aminoquinolines; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000077271:Imiquimod