A quadrivalent human papillomavirus vaccine was effective at removing therapy-resistant warts from children aged 9-11 years, according to Dr. Dietrich Abeck in private practice in Munich and Dr. Regina Fölster-Holst of the University Kiel, Lübeck, Germany.
The study group of six children had therapy-resistant warts for at least 2 years, with topical salicylic acid, duct tape occlusion therapy, and cryotherapy failing for all patients either alone or in combination. Patients received three doses of vaccines, with one patient becoming wart-free after the first treatment, four patients becoming disease-free after the second treatment, and the last patient becoming disease-free shortly after receiving the third vaccination.
The only reported side effect was temporary local swelling. The treatment with quadrivalent vaccine seemed to only work with young children, as only three of six patients aged 14-17 years saw results from the treatment, and three out of four adults saw no benefit from the vaccination.
“The rapid response observed shows that vaccination with the quadrivalent HPV vaccine has the ability to become an elegant, well-tolerated therapy for recalcitrant warts in children,” the investigators concluded.
Find the full study in Acta Dermato-Venereologica (doi: 10.2340/00015555-2111).