Safety and Efficacy Study of Imiquimod 5% Cream Applied 3x Per Week for 8 or 12 Weeks in Low Risk Nodular Basal Cell Carcinoma

Results from a pilot study demonstrated that topical imiquimod could clear superficial and nodular BCCs. Three phase II dose response studies in subjects with nodular BCC (nBCC) showed that the histological cure rates with imiquimod depend on the doses applied per week and the duration of treatment. Daily dosing or 5 times per week applications showed higher total clearance rates than 3 times per week dosing or less frequent dosing. Furthermore, a 12 week treatment period resulted in better efficacy results than a duration of only 6 weeks. On the other hand, local skin reactions increased with the doses applied per week. So a prolonged treatment period of 8 or 12 weeks with an application frequence of 3 times a week seems to be a good compromise between efficacy and safety.