Doi:10.1016/s0037-6337(07)70257-7

Dermatologic Therapy
S K I N & A L L E R G Y N E W S • A p r i l 2 0 0 7 Imiquimod Useful Before, After Cancer SurgeryPretreatment can shrink a BCC lesion, and use after matol. Surg. 2005;31:1399-403). A total of 20 patients who each had two nevi excised surgery may improve scarring and prevent recurrence. were instructed to apply topical im- in the SCC study, he reported at the meet- iquimod to one and a control substance to ing. Publication of the studies is pending, B Y D A M I A N M C N A M A R A
look at . ways to treat skin cancers oth- the other. “The cosmetic outcome was rat- to support publication. Dr. Tillman is on scale included a pink appearance as a bad “I use Aldara primarily out of necessi- ty,” said Dr. Tillman. His practice covers skin cancer. Adjunctive topical imiquimod Oncologists
combine cancer
asked if imiquimod’s clinical effect is age treatments but
dependent. “The answer in my practice is ‘dermatologists
no. A 105-year-old patient got a nice result, tend to do one
ministration in July 2004. Multiple studies thing at a time.’
DR. SPENCER
following curettage without electrodesic- cation for basal cell carcinoma. Dr. Rigel “but interestingly enough, we as derma- with either nodular or superficial BCC le- tologists tend to do one thing at a time,” shrink a BCC lesion, which should yield a sions. One week after curettage, patients smaller and more effective surgery, said Dr.
of Medicine, New York. “Surgery and ra- group. “So Aldara delays healing, but by “Six weeks seems to work well,” Dr.
diation therapy are well described as ef- 2 months, everyone healed,” he said. The improves scarring, perhaps by releasing in- terferon. In one study of 15 patients who At 1 year, there were zero recurrences.
significantly impact our practices in the side treated with imiquimod better in ap- There were excellent cosmetic results, su- next 5-10 years,” predicted Dr. Darrell S.
pearance at 6 months (Plast. Reconstr.
BCC or 86 patients with squamous cell car- perior to electrodesiccation and curettage, Rigel, clinical professor of dermatology at cinoma (SCC), said Dr. Donald K. Tillman, a dermatologist practicing in Hays, Kan.
Military Experts Say Newer Hemostatic Dressings Beat Gauze B Y J O H N R . B E L L

Source: http://www.hemcon.com/Portals/1/pdf/Military%20Experts%20Say%20Newer%20Hemostatic%20Dressings%20Beat%20Gauze%20-%20Skin%20and%20Allergy%20News%20-%2001APR07.pdf