The effect of anxiety, psychopathological symptoms and personality traits on response to treatment in male patients with anogenital warts: a prospective study

Background In the era of precision medicine, identification of possible predictive factors of clinical response to treatment is fundamental. This need is particularly strong for anogenital warts (AGW), because there are several treatment modalities with different clearance and recurrence rates. However, data regarding the effect of mental health parameters on response to treatment in patients with AGW are lacking. Objectives The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the association between patients' mental health parameters and AGW treatment outcomes. Methods This was a single-centre, prospective study that included newly diagnosed male patients with AGW. At their initial visit, all patients completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) questionnaires, which evaluate anxiety, psychopathological manifestations, and personality traits, respectively. All patients received cryotherapy until clearance of lesions and were followed up for 18 months for detection of recurrences. Results The study included 167 male patients. The mean number of days for AGW clearance was 89+/-65. During the 18-month follow up, 28 % of participants showed a recurrence, after a mean number of 150+/-132 days. No statistically significant association was detected between questionnaires scores and a) time needed for AGW clearance, b) time until 1st recurrence, and c) number of recurrences. Conclusion If confirmed, our findings indicate that we may not need to modify our AGW treatment plan according to a patient's mental health profile.