[Retinoic acid and 5-FU mixture in the topical treatment of several skin diseases (author's transl)].

The need for safe and effective topical treatments is underlined by several clinical trials over the years treating miscellaneous dermatosis with many and heterologous drugs, sometimes on a simple empirical basis. In a recent study Robinson and Kligman claimed to have obtained satisfactory results treating several cases of actinic keratosis with an alternate regimen of retinoic acid and 5-FU. We wish to report an open-label pilot study using a simple and readily accessible combination of commercially formulated and available agents as 0,05% retinoic acid cream and 5% 5-FU cream over two groups of patients. Treatment consisted of bid application of sparing amounts of an equal parts combination of retinoic acid and 5-FU. The first group consisted of 7 patients affected by skin diseases associated with an altered epidermal keratinization (actinic keratosis, Darier's disease, seborrheic keratosis, phrynoderma and epidermodysplasia verruciformis). The patients were followed up for a period of 15 to 60 days and, as it might be expected, the results were quite good. The second group, on the contrary, consisted of 6 patients affected mainly by dermatosis involving the corium (LED, milium, colloid pseudomilium). The patients were followed up for the same period of time as the first group was, but the results were much less rewarding. Only a partial resolution of the process, which was followed soon after by a relapse, was noted. Finally we believe that this modified regimen of equal parts of retinoic acid and 5-FU has to be recommended in the topical treatment of the above mentioned dermatosis associated with an altered keratinization.