The impact of the current United States guidelines on the management of actinic keratosis: is it time for an update?

Actinic keratosis is one of the most common diagnoses made by dermatologists. Many experts recommend treating all actinic keratoses because of their potential to progress to invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Physicians have a large armamentarium of actinic keratosis treatment modalities available to them, including destructive therapies, such as cryotherapy, curettage and electrodessication, chemical peels, photodynamic therapy, and topical therapies, including 5-fluorouracil, imiquimod, and diclofenac. In addition to standardized monotherapy regimens, combinations of two concomitant or sequential therapies and alternative topical dosing regimens have been studied in a number of clinical trials. Such therapeutic courses are used to maintain or enhance efficacy while improving tolerability, convenience, and/or patient adherence. This abundance of treatment options prompted development of several actinic keratosis management guidelines. Whereas two sets of treatment guidelines were published by European organizations within the past three years, the most recent United States-based guidelines for dermatologists were published by the American Academy of Dermatology in 1995. Because they are not up to date, the 1995 United States guidelines lack recent clinical developments and an evidence rating system and can no longer effectively guide practitioners. While there are benefits and potential limitations to developing an updated set of United States-based guidelines, there is a clearly defined need for a unified, comprehensive, evidence-based guideline approach to actinic keratosis treatment that balances the need to tailor long-term management of the disease to the needs of the individual patient.