A therapeutic approach to perianal extramammary Paget's disease: topical imiquimod can be useful to prevent or defer surgery.

BACKGROUND: Extramammary Paget's disease (EMPD) is a rare skin disease which can be limited to the epidermis and can sometimes also be associated with underlying carcinomas. At clinical examination, lesions are well-defined eczematous areas and have been described typically in the anogenital region. Surgery is the cornerstone treatment. CASE REPORT: In this report the case of a 66-year-old patient presenting with a long-lasting EMPD of perianal region without deep gastrointestinal neoplasia is described. Because of the extension of the lesion, surgery should have led to abdominoperineal amputation, but the patient rejected this option. Three months of daily application of topical imiquimod was prescribed as an alternative treatment. Biopsy-confirmed complete regression could be observed thereafter, and no recurrence has been noted during a 12-month follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: This successful treatment of a perianal-located EMPD by topical imiquimod warrants further investigations.