[Drug therapy of condylomata acuminata]

Abstract

This study seeks to evaluate two candidate regimens (5-fluorouracil and interferon) as adjuvants to optimally performed laser surgery in the treatment of condylomata acuminata. Skillful laser ablation can remove any volume of human papillomavirus-associated vulvar disease but cannot prevent reactivation of the surrounding latent viral reservoir during postoperative healing. Conversely, interferon and 5-fluorouracil are relatively ineffective as primary therapies. This study involves 118 evaluable patients: 32 in the laser-CO2 group, 34 in the 5-fluorouracil group and 52 in the interferon group. At assessment of final outcome, it was found that 43 of 52 (82%) assessable patients in the adjuvant interferon arm were controlled by a single laser ablation as compared with only 17 of 34 (50%) in the 5-fluorouracil group and 13 of 32 (40%) in the laser alone group. There was no statistical difference in outcome within the 5-fluorouracil and laser only arms. Conversely, a relatively low dose of recombinant interferon, used in combination with effective surgical deleulking, can markedly reduce the risk of postoperative recurrence.