LITERARY PERSPECTIVES ABOUT TOPICAL IMMUNOMODULATOR TREATMENT IN SKIN CANCER
Cancer is a serious public health problem in Brazil and worldwide.In this context, skin cancer stands out, classified as non-melanoma or melanoma.Currently, there are several treatment options, to be implemented according to the characteristics of the neoplasm and the general condition of the patient.Among these, topical therapy with immunomodulator has been highlighted as a new form of conservative clinical treatment, and some scientific studies have evaluated, albeit in few publications, the impact of this therapy.The present work aims to carry out a critical narrative of the literature in search of scientific studies that demonstrate the effectiveness of the topical use of imiquimod 5% in the treatment of skin cancer.For this, articles published in the period from 2002 to 2018 were selected, of which the most relevant for this study were used.It was concluded that surgical excision remains the first-line treatment for skin cancer.However, imiquimod may be useful when surgery is contraindicated, for patients who may be able to follow this therapy and tolerate possible adverse skin reactions.