Isotretinoin maintenance therapy for leucoplakia feasible
1
Isotretinoin maintenance therapy for leucoplakia feasible Although the clinical value of short-term, high-dose isotretinoin [13-cis-retinoic acid] in preventing secondary cancer in patients with leucoplakia has been established. this approach has been limited by unacceptable toxicity and a high relapse rate after therapy completion. However. researchers from the US now report that following a 3-month induction course of isotretinoin 1.5 mg/kg with a maintenance 9-month phase of 0.5 mg/kg is successful. The study compared the efficacies of maintenance phases with low-dose isotretinoin and betacarotene in patients with leucoplakia whose lesions were responsive or remained stable after a high-dose isotretinoin induction phase. During maintenance therapy, disease progression occurred in 2/24 (8%) isotretinoin recipients compared with 16/29 (55%) betacarotene recipients. Within 28 months of initiation of maintenance therapy, in situ cancer developed in I patient in each group, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma developed in 5 betacarotene recipients. THERAPY Responses further to those which were observed in the induction phase occurred in 33 and 10% of patients in the isotretinoin and betacarotene groups, respectively. Maintenance phase toxicity was considered to be relatively mild, but was more favourable for betacarotene therapy. The rate of serious toxicity (grade 3 or 4) was 12% in the isotretinoin group. Lippman SM. Batsakis JG. Toth BB. Weber RS. Lee JJ. et aL Comparison of low·dose isotretinoin with beta carotene to prevent oral carcinogenesis. New England Journal of Medicine 328: 15-20.7 Jan 1993 '.JIIl)), ISSN 0156-2703l9310116-0017/$1.00 c Adis International Ltd 17 INPHARMA®16 Jan 1993
Transcript of Isotretinoin maintenance therapy for leucoplakia feasible
Isotretinoin maintenance therapy for leucoplakia feasible
Although the clinical value of short-term, high-dose isotretinoin [13-cis-retinoic acid] in preventing secondary cancer in patients with leucoplakia has been established. this approach has been limited by unacceptable toxicity and a high relapse rate after therapy completion. However. researchers from the US now report that following a 3-month induction course of isotretinoin 1.5 mg/kg with a maintenance 9-month phase of 0.5 mg/kg is successful.
The study compared the efficacies of maintenance phases with low-dose isotretinoin and betacarotene in patients with leucoplakia whose lesions were responsive or remained stable after a high-dose isotretinoin induction phase. During maintenance therapy, disease progression occurred in 2/24 (8%) isotretinoin recipients compared with 16/29 (55%) betacarotene recipients. Within 28 months of initiation of maintenance therapy, in situ cancer developed in I patient in each group, and invasive squamous cell carcinoma developed in 5 betacarotene recipients.
THERAPY
Responses further to those which were observed in the induction phase occurred in 33 and 10% of patients in the isotretinoin and betacarotene groups, respectively.
Maintenance phase toxicity was considered to be relatively mild, but was more favourable for betacarotene therapy. The rate of serious toxicity (grade 3 or 4) was 12% in the isotretinoin group.
Lippman SM. Batsakis JG. Toth BB. Weber RS. Lee JJ. et aL Comparison of low·dose isotretinoin with beta carotene to prevent oral carcinogenesis. New England Journal of Medicine 328: 15-20.7 Jan 1993 '.JIIl)),
ISSN 0156-2703l9310116-0017/$1.00c Adis International Ltd
17
INPHARMA®16 Jan 1993
