Microneedling-Assisted Topical Bleomycin versus Cryotherapy in the Treatment of Anogenital Warts

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Andrology, Faculty of Medicine, Suez Canal University, Egypt.

2 Dikirnis General Hospital, Mansoura, Egypt.

Abstract

Background:Anogenital warts treatment has always been a demanding entity.  Although several therapeutic options exist, no single modality is completely effective in its treatment rather than preventing recurrence. Aim: To assess the effectiveness ofmicroneedling-assisted topical bleomycin versus cryotherapy in the treatment of anogenital warts. Methods:This trial involved 36 patientswho were split into two groups. Group (A): bleomycin (n=18). Group (B): cryotherapy (n=18). In group (A), microneedling was performed on the lesion followed by spraying of bleomycin (1 U/mL) every two weeks for a total of four sessions. In group (B), Cryotherapy was employed at a two-week interval for a maximum of 4 sessions. Results:By the end of sessions, 15(83.3%) patients in the bleomycin group and 11(61.1%) patients in the cryotherapy group showed complete response of all the warts with a statistically significant difference (P = 0.039).Also, the percentage of improvement was significantly higher in warts with lower duration among both groups. After 6 months, Recurrence was reported only in two (13.3%) patients in the bleomycin group compared to five (45.5%) in the cryotherapy group with a statistically insignificant difference (p=0.095). Conclusion: In treating anogenital warts, microneedling-assisted topical bleomycin is more effective than cryotherapy.
 

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