Treatment of erythroplasia of Queyrat: current status and advances

Abstract

Erythroplasia of Queyrat (EQ) , an in situ intraepidermal squamous cell carcinoma, is considered as Bowen′s disease of the glans and prepuce. EQ is seen almost exclusively in uncircumcised middle-aged or older men, and may progress into invasive squamous cell carcinoma in about 33% of patients. Effective treatments include local excision, Mohs surgery, partial or total penectomy, topical 5-fluorouracil 5% ointment or imiquimod 5% cream, cryotherapy, radiotherapy, laser therapy, photodynamic therapy, and so on. Traditional topical treatment is simple to operate and easily accepted by patients, but recurrence is frequent. Recently, photodynamic therapy and laser therapy have developed rapidly and become the first-line therapy of EQ. However, surgical treatment is still considered the golden standard therapy for EQ with reduced recurrence. The recurrence rate is lower than 2% in patients with EQ of the glans and prepuce after removal of lesions, but the appearance and function of the penis are usually affected by surgical operation. The selection of treatment approaches depends on the immune status of, lesional sites in and will of patients. Key words: Erythroplasia; Neoplasms, squamous cell; Surgical procedures, operative; External application drugs; Clinical protocols