Topical treatments for cutaneous warts: an update

Evaluation of: Kwok CS, Gibbs S, Bennett C, Holland R, Abbott R. Topical treatments for cutaneous warts. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 9, CD001781 (2012).Cutaneous warts are common skin lesions caused by human papillomavirus infection. Their treatment is aimed at relieving a patient’s physical and psychological discomfort, and at preventing spread of infection by autoinoculation. The aim of the article under review is to describe the outcome of current therapies for cutaneous warts according to randomized controlled trials. Results from pooled data show that significantly higher remission rates may be expected with salicylic acid and cryotherapy, best if used in combination. Limited data on adverse effects suggest that these are mild, well tolerated and more common with cryotherapy.