Abstract: Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of 5% imiquimod cream in the treatment of bowenoid papulosis (BP).Methods A retrospective survey was conducted.Totally,39 patients were divided into 3 groups according to treatment regimen:GroupⅠ(n=15) received 5% imiquimod cream 3 times per week for 8 weeks;GroupⅡ(n=12) received CO₂ laser treatment;GroupⅢ(n=12) received CO₂ laser treatment followed by 5% imiquimod cream 3 times per week for 8 weeks as adjunctive therapy.All patients were followed up for 3 months.Results In GroupⅠ,the clearance and recurrence rates were 33.33% (5/15) and 0% (0/15),respectively.The most common adverse events were mild to moderate local application site reactions,such as erythema,edema,erosion,and pain.The clearance rates of Group II and Group III were 100%,whereas the recurrence rate at 3 months was significantly lower in GroupⅢthan in GroupⅡ(25% vs 66.66%,P<0.05).Conclusions The results suggest that 5% imiquimod cream is effective for the treatment of bowenoid papulosis,especially for small lesions of bowenoid papulosis with good efficacy and low recurrence,and with CO₂ laser treatment it can also reduce the recurrence of plump lesions and/or mild verruca lesions of bowenoid papulosis.

Key words: Bowenoid papulosis, Therapy, Imiquimod