Application of cantharidin, retinoic acid cream and salicylic acidy in multiple palmoplantar warts.

Abstract

Multiple palmoplantar warts, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, were investigated for clinical efficacy using cantharidin, retinoic acid cream, and salicylic acid cream. A total of 110 patients with multiple palmoplantar warts were enrolled. The experimental group (54 cases) received a 1:1:1 combination (CRS) of 0.25% cantharidin, 0.1% retinoic acid cream, and 5% salicylic acid, applied with pressurized encapsulation for 8h every night, three times per week. The control group (56 cases) underwent conventional liquid nitrogen freezing. Monthly follow-ups assessed cure rate, effective rate, dermatological life quality index (DLQI), visual analog scale (VAS), and cost, with evaluations conducted after 3 months. The treatment group exhibited a cure rate of 85.19% and a total effective rate of 96.30%, surpassing the control group with rates of 39.29% and 51.79%, respectively (p<0.05). The treatment group's DLQI score (1.84±1.06) was significantly lower than the control group's score (6.04±1.78) (p=0.0005). Additionally, the treatment group's VAS score (1.84±1.06) was notably lower than the control group's score (8.56±1.07) (p<0.0001). The treatment group's total cost (43.20±2.85) was markedly lower than the control group's cost (206.38±90.81), with a statistically significant difference (p<0.0001). The combination of cantharidin, retinoic acid cream, and salicylic acid with local encapsulation is a safe, effective, economical, and convenient treatment method for multiple palmoplantar warts, exhibiting few side effects and showing promise.