Patient-reported skin reactions to 5% 5-fluorouracil in treatment of actinic keratosis

Skin reactions occur frequently during and after treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) with 5% 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). Managing expectations is important to prevent patients from prematurely terminating treatment and to ensure patients' adherence. The frequency and severity of skin reactions was evaluated with data from patients with AK who participated in a clinical trial comparing different field-directed therapies for AK and were randomized to 5-FU cream.1 A secondary objective was to evaluate whether more severe skin reactions were associated with a higher probability of treatment success.