Imiquimod treatment of lentigo maligna: an open-label study of 34 primary lesions in 32 patients.

L entigo maligna (LM) is an in situ lesion with a 2% to 50% risk of progression to LM melanoma. Currently, surgery or radiotherapy is usually recommended as the primary treatment for LM. In the literature, the recurrence rates reported for radiotherapy range from 0% to 19%, with a mean recurrence rate of approximately 7%; in addition, radiotherapy carries the risk of causing chronic radiodermatitis or radiation-induced malignant neoplasm. A margincontrolled excision using “slow Mohs” (rush permanent sections) and Mohs micrographic surgery has the lowest recurrence rate, perhaps as low as 3%.