Combination therapy with cryosurgery and low dosage strength imiquimod to treat actinic keratosis

摘要

The present invention is directed to the use of complementary or combination lesion-directed therapy, such as cryosurgery, and field-directed therapy, such as low dose imiquimod topical therapy with short durations, in combination to treat actinic keratosis ("AK"). In carrying out the present invention, the lesion-directed and field-directed therapies may be applied sequentially or concomitantly, in accordance with the present invention. The novel complementary or combination AK therapy contemplated by the present invention: (1) significantly improves clearance of cryosurgery-treated Aks; (2) treats subclinical AK lesions; (3) treats those visible AK lesions in excess of that cryosurgery can actually treat in a single treatment due to, e.g., patient tolerance, provider treatment limits and/or cryosurgery cost to the patient; and (4) enhances sustained clearance overall, as compared to mono AK lesion- directed therapy.