212 Letters to the Editor Topical Imiquimod for Bowenoid Papulosis in an HIV-positive Woman Pedro Redondo and Pedro Lloret Department of Dermatology, University Clinic of Navarra, School of Medicine, P.O. Box 4209, ES-31080, Pamplona, Spain. E-mail:
[email protected] Accepted February 18, 2002. Sir, CASE REPORT Bowenoid papulosis consists clinically of multiple verru- coid papules, usually situated in the anogenital region A 36-year-old woman presented with perianal and gen- of young men and women. Histologically, it is an in situ ital skin lesions of 6 years’ duration. The patient’s HIV-1 squamous cell carcinoma (1) and is most commonly infection had been diagnosed approximately 10 years associated with high-risk oncogenic genotypes of human earlier, and had been well controlled during most of papillomavirus (HPV ) types 16, 18, 33 and 39 (2, 3). that time with antiviral therapy. The patient’s viral load Bowenoid papulosis usually follows a benign course and and CD4 levels were 50 copies/ml and 750/mm3, respect- may spontaneously resolve in immunocompetent ively. She had received previous treatment with cryo- patients. In older women and immunocompromised therapy and local excision with electrocoagulation, with patients it generally persists and may progress to an relapses. Physical examination revealed perianal and invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Conventional treat- perivulvar red plaques covered with warty papules ments include local excision, electrocoagulation, elec- (Fig. 1A). Histological specimens con rmed the clinical trodessication, cryosurgery, laser removal and topical diagnosis of bowenoid papulosis. Topical treatment with 5- uorouracil. Imiquimod, an imidazoquinoline amine, imiquimod 5% cream was proposed.