Primary care review of actinic keratosis and its therapeutic options: a global perspective.

ABSTRACT: Actinic keratosis (AK) is a common skin condition caused by long-term sun exposure that has the potential to progress to non-melanoma skin cancers. The objective of this review is to examine the therapeutic options and management of AK globally, particularly in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Despite its potentially malignant nature, general awareness of AK is low, both in the general population and in the primary health care setting, especially in countries with low incidence. There is no standard therapeutic strategy for AK; it is treated through a variety of lesion-directed or field-directed therapies or a combination of both. A variety of treatment options are used depending on the experience of the primary care physician, the pathology of the lesion, and patient factors. St

SUBMITTER: Chetty P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4374063 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature