Prognostic markers in lentigo maligna patients treated with imiquimod cream: A long-term follow-up study.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: More data are needed to define factors that predict long-term success after imiquimod therapy for lentigo maligna (LM). OBJECTIVE: We sought to determine the demographic, clinical, and histologic prognostic markers of relapse-free survival in patients with LM who were treated with imiquimod. METHODS: This was a single-arm, open-label, nonrandomized, prospective study. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients with histologically confirmed LM and a median follow-up time of 4.8 years after imiquimod treatment were included in our study. Sixteen patients (18%) relapsed. Statistically significant indicators of an increased risk of local recurrence included the total number of melanocytes, the number of basal and suprabasal melanocytes and the number of pagetoid spreading melanocytes. LIMITATIONS: Our study was a single-center, nonrandomized study. CONCLUSION: An assessment of different melanocyte fractions in the diagnostic baseline biopsy specimen may help to predict the response of LM to imiquimod therapy.