Topical Self-Treatment with 0.15% Podophyllotoxin (Wartec® Cream) for Female Genital Warts

Abstract

Objective: Conventional treatments of genital warts with podophyllin lotion or electrosurgery in females are inconvenient, less cost-effective, and time-consuming, both for physicians and patients. There is definitely a need for a refined, simple, safe, fast, and effective first-line treatment modality. The purpose of this clinical study was to evaluate the suitability, tolerability, and effectiveness of 0.15%podophyllotoxin (Wartec® Cream) on female external genital warts in Taiwan. Material(s) and Method(s): Twenty female patients were enrolled in this 8-week clinical study. They were asked to provide their age, marital status, and previous disease history. The inclusion criteria consisted of those who had a clinical diagnosis of exophytic vulvar condylomata acuminata with dimension, in the range between 4 and 600 mm2, had a negative urine pregnancy test, were aged 18 years or older, and were willing to comply with the treatment schedule. Treatment cycles consisted of weekly intervals whereby the medication was self-applied twice daily for the first 3 days, followed by a 4-day rest period with no application. All patients were examined weekly for treatment efficacy and aftereffects. For the purpose of this study, a complete response was considered when all original warts were eradicated; a partial response was recorded as a reduction in the number and/or size of the original warts. Result(s): In total, 20 patients were recruited for this study; 2 defaulted and 18 completed the study. The age range was 24-62 (median, 35.5) years. Fifteen patients (75%) were first infected, and 5 (25%) were recurrent cases in which electrocauterization had previously been performed. The complete response rate after the 4- and 8-week treatments was 61.1% (11/1 8) and 88.9% (16/18), respectively, and 44.4% (8/18) showed mild local adverse reactions. The overall response rate, including both the complete and partial responses, of the 8-week treatment was 100% (18/1 8). In this study, no recurrence was observed during the 6-month follow-up. Conclusion(s): This study shows that 0.15% podophyllotoxin (Wartec® Cream) is a safe, effective, and convenient first-line home treatment for genital condyloma eradication.