Multidisciplinary treatment of vulval extramammary Paget's disease to maintain sexual function: an imiquimod success story

Vulvar Paget’s Disease: A Systematic Review of the MITO Rare Cancer Group

Vulvar Paget’s disease (VPD) is a rare form of cutaneous adenocarcinoma of the vulva, which accounts for about 1–2% of all vulvar neoplasms and mainly affects post-menopausal women. The clinical presentation is usually non-specific and mimics chronic erythematous skin lesions; therefore, the diagnosis is often difficult and delayed. Although VPD is typically diagnosed at a locally advanced stage and has a high recurrence rate, the prognosis is overall favorable with a 5-year survival of nearly 90%. Due to the limited and poor-quality evidence, there is no global consensus on optimal management. Therefore, we performed a systematic review of the literature through the main electronic databases to deepen the current knowledge of this rare disease and discuss the available treatment strategies. Wide surgical excision is recommended as the standard-of-care treatment and should be tailored to the tumor position/extension and the patient’s performance status. The goal is to completely remove the tumor and achieve clear margins, thus reducing the rate of local recurrences. Non-surgical treatments, such as radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and topical approaches, can be considered, especially in the case of unresectable and recurrent disease. In the absence of clear recommendations, the decision-making process should be individualized, also considering the new emerging molecular targets, such as HER2 and PD-L1, which might pave the way for future targeted therapies. The current review aims to raise awareness of this rare disease and encourage international collaboration to collect larger-scale, high-quality evidence and standardize treatment.

Medical and Surgical Strategies in Vulvar Paget Disease: Let's Throw Some Light!

BACKGROUND

Vulvar Paget's disease (VPD) is defined as a neoplasm of epithelial origin, mostly in postmenopausal women. Due to the extreme rarity of VPD, limited data about recommended treatment options are available. Surgical excision has been the treatment of choice although in the recent decade medical treatments have been proposed.

METHODS

A systematic computerized search of the literature was performed in the main electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library), from 2003 to September 2022, in order to analyze all medical and surgical strategies used for the treatment of VPD.

RESULTS

Thirty-four articles were included in this review with findings as follows: 390 patients were treated with medical or other conservative treatment while 2802 patients were treated surgically; 235/434 (54%) patients had a complete response, 67/434 (15%) a partial response, 10/434 (2.3%) a stable disease, 3/434 (0.7%) disease progress, 3/434 (0.7%) died of the disease, 55/434 (13%) died of other causes during follow up while 7/434 (1.6%) had to stop topical treatments with 5% imiquimod cream because of side effects; 239/434 patients (55%) had a recurrence and 11/434 (2.5%) were lost to follow-up. The length of follow-up was variable, according to the different studies analyzed.

CONCLUSION

VPD is a chronic disease with a high recurrence rate and low mortality. There are no significant differences in recurrence rates in patients who undergo surgery and those who do not and the margin status at the time of primary surgery and recurrence. Several surgical and medical approaches providing both local control of the disease and minimal tissue damage have been developed. Clock mapping, a recent preoperative vulvo-vaginal workup tool, can predict the invasiveness and the extension of VPD. However, to date, due to the different treatment options available and in the absence of a global consensus, it is critical to tailor treatments to individual patient characteristics and biopsy histopathologic findings, to ensure the best type of therapy.

Effects of imiquimod on vulvar Paget's disease: a systematic review of literature

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of topical imiquimod therapy for vulvar Paget's disease.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted using three public search engines with entry keywords "Paget's disease" and "imiquimod". Case reports describing imiquimod treatment for vulvar Paget's disease were examined for demographics, treatment patterns, and outcome (63 cases).

RESULTS

Median age was 68, and nearly a half of cases were recurrent disease (50.8%) with surgical resection being the most common prior treatment modality (62.5%). All cases used 5% imiquimod and the median treatment duration was 4months. The most common initial treatment frequency was 3-4times/week (68.3%) followed by 5-7 (17.4%) and 1-2times/week (14.3%). Frequency-reduction due to adverse effects was seen in 9.5% with the initial 5-7times/week regimen being associated with the highest reduction rate (1-2, 3-4, and 5-7times/week: 0%, 2.3%, and 81.8%, p<0.01). In 46 (73.0%) cases, a complete remission (CR) to imiquimod therapy was reported, with 2, 4, and 6-month cumulative CR rates being 9.8%, 31.1%, and 71.6%, respectively. With median follow-up duration of 12months after the completion of imiquimod treatment, 2 (5.7%) of the 35 women who had a CR developed disease recurrence. Age, disease status (primary versus recurrent), and treatment frequency after dose reduction were not associated with CR rates (all, p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

Our results suggested that imiquimod therapy may be an effective possible treatment option for vulvar Paget's disease, especially for women who have experienced recurrence after multiple surgical resections or who are with poor surgical candidates.

Treatment of primary vulvar paget disease with 5% imiquimod cream

INTRODUCTION

Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of conservative treatment with imiquimod in Paget vulvar disease.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We describe a case series that includes 10 patients with histopathologic diagnosis of extramammary Paget disease of the vulva, who were treated with 5% imiquimod cream. Of these patients, 3 were treated for recurrent disease and 7 were treated for initial primary disease. The patients applied the cream every other day until the lesions were no longer clinically detected.They were previously instructed on how and where to apply the cream by making them use a mirror while following the physician's directions.

RESULTS

Complete clinical and histologic remission of the disease was achieved in 9 patients. The remaining patient had partial histologic response and is still under treatment. The treatment was well tolerated despite moderate irritation. No recurrences were observed during a mean follow-up of 18 months.

CONCLUSIONS

On the basis of the results, the authors consider that 5% imiquimod cream could be considered a safe and effective therapeutic option for the treatment of primary vulvar Paget disease. Further studies are needed to determine the real efficacy and safety of 5% imiquimod cream for the treatment of this infrequent disease.

Imiquimod therapy for extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva: a viable non-surgical alternative

Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare intraepidermal adenocarcinoma that can affect the vulval skin. Surgical excision is the gold-standard treatment, however, recurrence rates are high and extensive excisions can produce long-lasting cosmetic and functional defects. We describe one of the largest case series to-date (n = 6) on the use of topical 5% imiquimod cream as a novel treatment option and discuss our experiences. With the addition of our six cases to the literature, there are now 29 documented cases of vulval EMPD treated with 5% imiquimod cream. Of these, 50% of primary disease cases and 73% of recurrent primary disease cases have achieved clinical resolution with 5% imiquimod therapy alone. These findings suggest that imiquimod provides a viable alternative to surgical excision for vulval EMPD. However, we acknowledge that this is a simple retrospective analysis and that treatment scheduling and follow-up needs investigation in a trial setting.

Treatment of vulvar Paget disease with topical imiquimod: a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND

Extramammary Paget's disease is a cutaneous neoplasm that presents as erythematous crusted patches and plaques reminiscent of contact dermatitis or inverse psoriasis that can be a challenge to treat in a tissue-sparing manner. The most commonly involved site for this rare disorder is the anogenital region. Surgery is considered as the gold standard therapy. In the last years, the topical use of imiquimod cream in the treatment of this condition has been reported.

MAIN OBSERVATIONS

We present a case of a 59-year-old woman with primary extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva, in which a conservative approach to therapy was desired, and who underwent complete and stable remission with imiquimod cream. We also review the previous reports of patients with extramammary Paget's disease treated with imiquimod cream.

CONCLUSIONS

Imiquimod therapy may be an alternative for primary as well as recurring extramammary Paget's disease. Treatment-associated morbidity is minimal compared with other therapies, such as surgery which may be debilitating.

Extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva: An annotated review of the current literature

Extramammary Paget's disease is a rare and unusual neoplastic entity that presents mainly on apocrine gland-bearing skin. The vulva is the most common site of involvement but any area of the anogenital skin can be affected. Due to its rarity, variable clinical course and deceptive histological appearance it has a high misdiagnosis rate and both gynaecologists and dermatologists have limited experience in its management. The significance of the disease lies in its association with underlying malignancy as well as its inherent ability to invade the dermis and metastasise. The management is notoriously complicated and recurrence rates are high despite aggressive surgeries. Several alternative modalities are being explored, with results that are often variable and unpredictable. This review summarises the histopathological, clinical and therapeutic features of extramammary Paget's disease of the vulva reported in recent years.

Treatment of recurrent vulvar Paget disease with imiquimod cream: a case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Extra-mammary Paget disease is one of the rare neoplastic conditions of the skin. The most common site of involvement is the vulva and presents itself with erythematous plaques. Surgery is the most important treatment option. In the recent years, there are publications of the topical use of imiquimod cream in extra-mammary cutaneous Paget disease. We report the case of a woman with recurrent vulvar Paget disease, who underwent successful treatment with imiquimod cream. We also review the reports of other patients with vulvar Paget disease who were treated with topical imiquimod cream.

CASE REPORT

A 65-year-old woman presented to the Oncology Outpatient Clinic with an itchy lesion in her vulva for 2 years. In the gynecologic examination, a hyperkeratotic erythematous lesion was found starting from the right labium to involve clitoris, with a size of 4 × 3 cm. Pathology result was reported as Paget disease. She was operated and wide vulvar excision was performed with a safety margin of 2 cm. Then recurrence two times occurred. Because she refused surgery, imiquimod cream 5% was applied for treatment.

CONCLUSION

Imiquimod cream is an effective and safe therapeutic agent for both primary and recurring vulvar Paget disease.