Successful treatment of recalcitrant condyloma with topical cidofovir
- Department of Dermatology and Venerology, University of Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany
- Hospital Pharmacy, University of Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany
- U R Henggedermatology{at}uni-essen.de
- Accepted 11 January 2000
Editor,—Despite the high prevalence of condylomata acuminata, their treatment remains unsatisfactory for both patients and physicians. Epidemiological studies estimated the prevalence of genital warts between 1–31% with a peak occurring in young adults.1 As a consequence, the economic burden of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in the United States is estimated to exceed $8.5 billion per year.2 Current treatments rely on the ablation of warts (cryotherapy, laser vaporisation, electrodissection, or trichloroacetic acid) or the interruption of cell division (podophylox, intralesional or systemic interferon, and 5-fluorouracil). Recently, imiquimod has been successfully used as a topical immune response modifier for the treatment of external anogenital warts.3 However, there remains a substantial number of patients who fail to respond …
