Therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy combined with imiquimod in the treatment of anal condyloma acuminatum and its effect on immune function

Therapeutic effect of photodynamic therapy combined with imiquimod in the treatment of anal condyloma acuminatum (CA) was investigated to explore its effect on immune function. A total of 104 patients with anal CA were randomly divided into two groups: Patients in the study group were treated with photodynamic therapy combined with imiquimod, and ii) patients in the control group were treated with recombinant human interferon α-2b cream. Clinical efficacy and immune function related indicators were compared between the two groups. After treatment for 6 weeks, the cure rate and total effective rate of study group was 53.85 and 92.31%, respectively, which were significantly higher than those of the control group (30.77 and 75.00%, P<0.05). Recurrence rate of study group was 3.85% within 6 months after treatment, which was significantly lower than that of the control group (19.23%, P<0.05). After treatment, levels of CD4(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+) and IFN-γ in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group, and levels of CD8(+), IL-4 and IL-10 in the study group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Photodynamic therapy combined with imiquimod in the treatment of anus CA can regulate T lymphocyte subsets and cytokine levels, enhance immune function, improve clinical efficacy, reduce recurrence rate, and have almost no side effects. Therefore, this treatment should be popularized in clinical practice.