ALA-PDT combined with oral acitretin in the treatment of refractory condyloma acuminatum in anal canal.

Background: Condyloma acuminatum (CA) of the anal canal is difficult to treat and subject to relapse.. We investigated the effects of aminolevulinic acid-based photodynamic therapy (ALA-PDT) combined with oral acitretin during therapy of refractory CA in the anal canal. We also conducted a clinical retrospective study for the treatment of intra-anal CA.

Methods: A total of 101 patients diagnosed with intra-anal CA were enrolled. All patients underwent liquid nitrogen cryotherapy as a basic treatment until visible wart clearance. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the treatment modality after cryotherapy. ALA-PDT group with 51 patients was given ALA-PDT treatment, and ALA-PDT plus acitretin group with 50 patients was given ALA-PDT treatment combined with oral acitretin. The cure rate, recurrence rate, and adverse reactions of the two groups were analyzed and recorded.

Results: The cure rate in the ALA-PDT plus acitretin group was 94% (47/50), which was significantly higher than 80.4% (41/51) in ALA-PDT group. The recurrence rate in the ALA-PDT plus acitretin group was 6% (3/50), which was lower than 19.6% (10/51) in ALA-PDT group (P<0.05).

Conclusions: ALA-PDT combined with oral acitretin is effective and safe in the treatment of refractory CA in anal canal, and with further study may become an option for these patients.