Evaluation of the therapeutic results of actinic keratosis treated with topical 5% fl uorouracil by refl ectance confocal laser microscopy: Preliminary study

Abstract

Topical treatment for actinic keratosis with 5% fl uorouracil has a recurrence rate of 54% in 12 months of follow-up. This study analyzed thirteen actinic keratoses on the upper limbs through confocal microscopy, at the time of clinical diagnosis and after 4 weeks of treatment with fl uorouracil. After the treatment was established and evidence of clinical cure was achieved, in two of the nine actinic keratoses, confocal microscopy enabled visualization of focal areas of atypical honeycomb pattern in the epidermis indicating therapeutic failure. Preliminary data suggest the use of confocal microscopy as a tool for diagnosis and therapeutic control of actinic keratosis.