Treatment results in adult-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

PROBLEMS/OBJECTIVES: To assess remission rate, treatment results, and factors for remission in patients with adult-onset recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (AORRP).

METHODOLOGY: In this retrospective study, the clinical and pathological data of 51 patients with AORRP, treated in University Hospitals between 1972 and 2006 were reviewed. The male-female ratio was 7:3. At diagnosis, the median age was 43 years, and the median retrospective Coltrera-Derkay Staging and Severity score was 6 (range, 2-28). Twenty-one patients (41%) received only surgical treatment. Thirty patients (59%) were treated with surgery and adjuvant intralesional cidofovir.

RESULTS: At the time of analysis in December 2006, 69% of the patients were in remission. Of those, 46% had been treated with adjuvant cidofovir. Of the patients who were not in remission, 87% had been treated with adjuvant cidofovir. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.005). No significant difference was found between the remission group and the non-remission group for the factors age, gender, smoking habits, alcohol habits, GERD, severity and duration of therapy.

CONCLUSIONS: AORRP was curable in most patients after long intensive treatment, with a general remission rate of 69%. Cidofovir was a negative factor for remission (p = 0.005). No other statistically significant factors for remission were found. Although a control group was present, it was not possible to perform a randomized study with comparable groups. A well-designed placebo-controlled, double-blinded, randomized trial to assess the outcomes of adjuvant intralesional cidofovir therapy for RRP would be valuable.