Background: Many therapeutic modalities are available for treating genital warts; however, the effectiveness of both diphenylcyclopropenone and podophyllin is still controversial.
Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of diphenylcyclopropenone and podophyllin in treating genital warts.
Methods: This study included 57 patients, divided randomly into two groups. Group (A): diphenylcyclopropenone (n = 29). Group (B): podophyllin 25% (n = 28). In group (A), sensitization was done with 2% diphenylcyclopropenone. Then, after 1 or 2 weeks, treatment started with a weekly application of diphenylcyclopropenone solutions ranging between 0.001 and 1% until clearance, or for a maximum of 10 sessions. In group (B), podophyllin 25% was applied weekly until clearance or for a maximum of 6 weeks.
Results: Higher clearance was achieved in group A, with 19 of 29 (65.5%) patients, than in group B, with 9 of 28 (32.1%) (p-value = 0.004). Also, effectiveness increases with young age in group A. Shorter wart duration was associated with better response in both groups (p-value = 0.005). No serious adverse effects occurred in either group. No recurrence was detected in group A, while seven patients (77.8%) had recurrence in group B after 1 year of follow up.
Conclusion: Diphenylcyclopropenone shows a higher success rate than podophyllin in treating genital warts and a lower recurrence rate.
Keywords: HPV; STDs; diphenylcyclopropenone; genital wart; podophyllin.