COMPARISON OF THE EFFICACY OF INTRALESIONAL 5% FU VERSUS INTRALESIONAL TRIAMCINOLONE IN PATIENTS PRESENTING WITH KELOID AND HYPERTROPHIC SCAR AT TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL, KARACHI

Despite the fact that keloids and hypertrophic scars are frequent benign hyper-proliferative growths of dermal fibroblasts, the clinical concerns, such as physical and psychological issues, are serious and impairing, and there are few effective therapies. Although 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and intralesional triamcinolone acetonide (TAC) are widely used to manage both scars, their effectiveness is still debatable. To compare the efficacy of intralesional 5% FU versus intralesional triamcinolone in patients presenting with keloid and hypertrophic scar at Tertiary Care Hospital, Karachi. This RCT study was conducted on patients presenting with keloid and hypertrophic scars at the Outpatient Department of Dermatology, JPMC, Karachi, meeting inclusion criteria. A brief history of demographic information and written informed consent were taken from each patient. A total of 158 patients were enrolled in the study and were randomly allocated to Group A, Intralesional triamcinolone group, and B: Intralesional 5% FU group twice weekly for a total of 4 sessions. During each visit, the keloid height was measured, photographed again, and documented. Efficacy was labeled if patients with keloid and hypertrophic scar in either group showed ≥ 50% reduction in height. Comparison of efficacy between groups showed a significant difference as the efficacy rate was higher in patients treated with 5-FU 45mg as compared to the patients administrated with TAC 10mg (70.9% vs. 50.6%; P-value=0.009). This analysis revealed that irrespective of the patient's age, sex, illness duration, or lesion site, intra-lesional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) offered the significant benefit of a faster and more effective response than triamcinolone (TAC) in the treatment of keloids and hypertrophic scars.