Managing lentigo maligna with imiquimod
In cases of lentigo maligna where surgery is not possible or declined by the patient, is imiquimod a viable treatment alternative?
The terms shark and melanoma both conjure fear in our hearts. Despite this fear, most sharks are harmless. The same is true of many melanomas.
Lentigo maligna is classified as an in situ melanoma. The current documented survival rate after their complete excision is basically the same for patients as for matched, melanoma naive controls.1
The risk of untreated lentigo melanoma progressing to invasive disease is uncertain but it is low. Estimates range from 5% to 50% lifetime risk of progressing to invasion.2,3
The time span to progression, if it occurs, is often measured in decades.
