Application of cantharidin, retinoic acid cream and salicylic acidy in multiple palmoplantar warts

• Published in: Skin research and technology Vol. 30; no. 2; pp. e13586 - n/a
• Main Authors: Zhang, Liyin, Cheng, Shasha, Chen, Cheng, Fang, Ling, Cui, Chengjun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Acids; cantharidin; Cantharidin - adverse effects; Encapsulation; Freezing; Human papillomavirus; Humans; Liquid nitrogen; multiple palmoplantar; Quality of life; Retinoic acid; retinoic acid cream; Salicylic acid; Salicylic Acid - adverse effects; Side effects; Statistical analysis; Treatment Outcome; Tretinoin - therapeutic use; verruca; Warts; Warts - drug therapy; retinoic acid cream; verruca; salicylic acid; multiple palmoplantar; cantharidin
• ISSN: 0909-752X; 1600-0846
• DOI: 10.1111/srt.13586

Objective Multiple palmoplantar warts, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, were investigated for clinical efficacy using cantharidin, retinoic acid cream, and salicylic acid cream. Methods A total of 110 patients with multiple palmoplantar warts were enrolled. The experimental group (54 cases) received a 1:1:1 combination (CRS) of 0.25% cantharidin, 0.1% retinoic acid cream, and 5% salicylic acid, applied with pressurized encapsulation for 8 h every night, three times per week. The control group (56 cases) underwent conventional liquid nitrogen freezing. Monthly follow‐ups assessed cure rate, effective rate, dermatological life quality index (DLQI), visual analog scale (VAS), and cost, with evaluations conducted after 3 months. Results The treatment group exhibited a cure rate of 85.19% and a total effective rate of 96.30%, surpassing the control group with rates of 39.29% and 51.79%, respectively (p < 0.05). The treatment group's DLQI score (1.84 ± 1.06) was significantly lower than the control group's score (6.04 ± 1.78) (p = 0.0005). Additionally, the treatment group's VAS score (1.84 ± 1.06) was notably lower than the control group's score (8.56 ± 1.07) (p < 0.0001). The treatment group's total cost (43.20 ± 2.85) was markedly lower than the control group's cost (206.38 ± 90.81), with a statistically significant difference (p < 0.0001). Conclusion The combination of cantharidin, retinoic acid cream, and salicylic acid with local encapsulation is a safe, effective, economical, and convenient treatment method for multiple palmoplantar warts, exhibiting few side effects and showing promise.