Topical Application of Imiquimod Gel at Different Concentrations in Actinic Cheilitis

November 17, 2022 updated by: Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre

Evaluation of Topical Application of 5% Imiquimod, 0.05% Imiquimod and 0.05% Nanoencapsulated Imiquimod Gel in the Treatment of Actinic Cheilitis: a Randomized Controlled Trial

Actinic cheilitis is a potentially malignant lesion on the lower lip, which can progress to more serious illnesses such as cancer if not treated. Usually treatment of this condition is only based on clinical appearance, but there is no established cure treatment. Topical imiquimod is a medicine indicated for the treatment of skin diseases, but it has not yet been proven to treat actinic cheilitis. In this research, the investigator's aim is to evaluate the response to actinic cheilitis treatment with the current standard treatment compared to high and low concentration imiquimod topical formulations.

Study Overview

Detailed Description

Three formulations are used in this research: imiquimod 5%, imiquimod 0.05% e imiquimod nanoencapsulated 0.05%. Nanoencapsulation is a process that concentrates the drug into a capsule not visible to the naked eye, allowing it to penetrate skin more easily and will only release the drug at the lesion site. The drug is presented in a free form inside the gel in the others formulations.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

49

Phase

  • Phase 1

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Rio Grande Do Sul
      • Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, 90040-060
        • Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre
      • Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil, 90040-060
        • School of Dentistry - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 85 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Individuals with clinical and histopathological diagnosis of actinic cheilitis;
  • No previous lip treatment with Imiquimod.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Present lesions suspected of squamous cell carcinoma of the lip.
  • Previous history of lip cancer treatment.
  • Prior treatment other than standard treatment.
  • History of allergic reactions to imiquimod or any other component of the formulas.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Quadruple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Placebo & Standard Treatment

Apply 0.5ml of gel stored in a 1ml syringe over the lip 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) at night for a period of 4 weeks.

Gel components: medium molecular weight chitosan, lactic acid 85% and water.

Apply sunscreen on the lip 30 minutes every day before sun exposure. Protects against both UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B rays).

Apply dexpanthenol on the lip, two (2) times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Reduces transepidermic water loss and maintaining the natural smoothness and elasticity of the skin. It accelerates the cell renewal, rebuilds damaged tissues and promote the normal keratinisation of the skin and hair.

Experimental: Imiquimod 5% & Standard Treatment
Apply sunscreen on the lip 30 minutes every day before sun exposure. Protects against both UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B rays).

Apply dexpanthenol on the lip, two (2) times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Reduces transepidermic water loss and maintaining the natural smoothness and elasticity of the skin. It accelerates the cell renewal, rebuilds damaged tissues and promote the normal keratinisation of the skin and hair.

Apply 0.5ml of gel stored in a 1ml syringe over the lip 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) at night for a period of 4 weeks.

Gel components: medium molecular weight chitosan, lactic acid 85% and free form imiquimod 5%.

Experimental: Imiquimod 0.05% & Standard Treatment
Apply sunscreen on the lip 30 minutes every day before sun exposure. Protects against both UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B rays).

Apply dexpanthenol on the lip, two (2) times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Reduces transepidermic water loss and maintaining the natural smoothness and elasticity of the skin. It accelerates the cell renewal, rebuilds damaged tissues and promote the normal keratinisation of the skin and hair.

Apply 0.5ml of gel stored in a 1ml syringe over the lip 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) at night for a period of 4 weeks.

Gel components: medium molecular weight chitosan, lactic acid 85% and imiquimod 0.05% free form.

Experimental: Imiquimod nanoencapsulated 0.05% & Standard Treatment
Apply sunscreen on the lip 30 minutes every day before sun exposure. Protects against both UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B rays).

Apply dexpanthenol on the lip, two (2) times a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon.

Reduces transepidermic water loss and maintaining the natural smoothness and elasticity of the skin. It accelerates the cell renewal, rebuilds damaged tissues and promote the normal keratinisation of the skin and hair.

Apply 0.5ml of gel stored in a 1ml syringe over the lip 3 times a week (Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays) at night for a period of 4 weeks.

Gel components: medium molecular weight chitosan, lactic acid 85% and imiquomod in a nanoencapsulated suspension at concentration of 0,05%

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Clinical Response
Time Frame: 30 days after conclusion of treatment

Clinical analysis of lip photographs based on a classification. The lesions will be graded as:

AC Grade I. Dryness and desquamation on the vermilion of lips.

AC Grade II. Atrophy on the vermilion's border, presenting soft surfaces and pallid areas with eruptions. Blurred limit between the lip's vermilion border and the skin, or a dark line demarking that limit can be seen. This melanotic line should be different from ephelides or other pigmented lesions.

AC Grade III. Rough and squamous areas on the drier parts of the vermilion and hyperkeratotic areas, especially when they spread to the wet lip's mucosa (border between mucosa and semimucosa).

AC Grade IV. Ulceration present in one or more sites of the lip's vermillion or Leukoplakia, mainly in more traumatic places, due to the history of pipe or cigarettes consumption. These lesions could suggest that a malignization process would be in progress, especially when they are accompanied by endured areas on palpation.

30 days after conclusion of treatment
Clinical Response
Time Frame: 180 days after conclusion of treatment

Clinical analysis of lip photographs based on a classification. The lesions will be graded as:

AC Grade I. Dryness and desquamation on the vermilion of lips.

AC Grade II. Atrophy on the vermilion's border, presenting soft surfaces and pallid areas with eruptions. Blurred limit between the lip's vermilion border and the skin, or a dark line demarking that limit can be seen. This melanotic line should be different from ephelides or other pigmented lesions.

AC Grade III. Rough and squamous areas on the drier parts of the vermilion and hyperkeratotic areas, especially when they spread to the wet lip's mucosa (border between mucosa and semimucosa).

AC Grade IV. Ulceration present in one or more sites of the lip's vermillion or Leukoplakia, mainly in more traumatic places, due to the history of pipe or cigarettes consumption. These lesions could suggest that a malignization process would be in progress, especially when they are accompanied by endured areas on palpation.

180 days after conclusion of treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
General Satisfaction about the medication: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: VAS scale will be generated at 14 days after beginning of the treatment.
Satisfaction will be self-reported by VAS scale. The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to measure general satisfaction of participants to treatment. Participants will be asked to point in to a white paper with a 10cm line, where 0 represents none satisfaction and 10 maximum satisfaction.
VAS scale will be generated at 14 days after beginning of the treatment.
General Satisfaction about the medication: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: VAS scale will be generated at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Satisfaction will be self-reported by VAS scale. The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to measure general satisfaction of participants to treatment. Participants will be asked to point in to a white paper with a 10cm line, where 0 represents none satisfaction and 10 maximum satisfaction.
VAS scale will be generated at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
General Satisfaction about the medication: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: VAS scale will be generated at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Satisfaction will be self-reported by VAS scale. The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to measure general satisfaction of participants to treatment. Participants will be asked to point in to a white paper with a 10cm line, where 0 represents none satisfaction and 10 maximum satisfaction.
VAS scale will be generated at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
General Satisfaction about the medication: Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: VAS scale will be generated at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Satisfaction will be self-reported by VAS scale. The visual analogue scale (VAS) will be used to measure general satisfaction of participants to treatment. Participants will be asked to point in to a white paper with a 10cm line, where 0 represents none satisfaction and 10 maximum satisfaction.
VAS scale will be generated at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse Events Severity
Time Frame: The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 14 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse effects will be assessed during clinical evaluation at follow-up and with an adverse effects questionnaire.The questionnaire is based on self-reported events followed by a quantification of severity of local and systemic events. The participants are asked to classify the events in a scale of 0 to 3. 0= no sympton, 1- mild, 2-moderate and 3-severe.
The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 14 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse Events Severity
Time Frame: The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse effects will be assessed during clinical evaluation at follow-up and with an adverse effects questionnaire.The questionnaire is based on self-reported events followed by a quantification of severity of local and systemic events. The participants are asked to classify the events in a scale of 0 to 3. 0= no sympton, 1- mild, 2-moderate and 3-severe.
The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse Events Severity
Time Frame: The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse effects will be assessed during clinical evaluation at follow-up and with an adverse effects questionnaire.The questionnaire is based on self-reported events followed by a quantification of severity of local and systemic events. The participants are asked to classify the events in a scale of 0 to 3. 0= no sympton, 1- mild, 2-moderate and 3-severe.
The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse Events Severity
Time Frame: The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Adverse effects will be assessed during clinical evaluation at follow-up and with an adverse effects questionnaire.The questionnaire is based on self-reported events followed by a quantification of severity of local and systemic events. The participants are asked to classify the events in a scale of 0 to 3. 0= no sympton, 1- mild, 2-moderate and 3-severe.
The adverse events questionnaire is applied in 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Maturation epithelial pattern
Time Frame: Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. With this examination it is possible to analyze morphological changes of the collected cells by light microscopy. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. From one of the obtained smears, Papanicolaou stain will be performed. Papanicoloau staining allows assessing different cell types, which are quantified to evaluate epithelial differentiation.
Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Maturation epithelial pattern
Time Frame: Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. With this examination it is possible to analyze morphological changes of the collected cells by light microscopy. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. From one of the obtained smears, Papanicolaou stain will be performed. Papanicoloau staining allows assessing different cell types, which are quantified to evaluate epithelial differentiation.
Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Maturation epithelial pattern
Time Frame: Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. With this examination it is possible to analyze morphological changes of the collected cells by light microscopy. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. From one of the obtained smears, Papanicolaou stain will be performed. Papanicoloau staining allows assessing different cell types, which are quantified to evaluate epithelial differentiation.
Maturation epithelial pattern analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - mAgNOR
Time Frame: mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. From the quantification of AgNORs, the average AgNORs / core (mAgNOR) will be calculated. The low average of AgNOR stained cells indicates lower cell proliferation and a higher average indicates greater proliferation.
mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - mAgNOR
Time Frame: mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. From the quantification of AgNORs, the average AgNORs / core (mAgNOR) will be calculated. The low average of AgNOR stained cells indicates lower cell proliferation and a higher average indicates greater proliferation.
mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - mAgNOR
Time Frame: mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. From the quantification of AgNORs, the average AgNORs / core (mAgNOR) will be calculated. The low average of AgNOR stained cells indicates lower cell proliferation and a higher average indicates greater proliferation.
mAgNOR analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - pAgNOR
Time Frame: pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. A second evaluation parameter will be the percentage of cells with more than 1, 2, 3 and 4 AgNORs / nucleus (pAgNOR). A higher percentage of cells with more than 3 and 4 AgNORs per nucleus indicate greater proliferation.
pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 28 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - pAgNOR
Time Frame: pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. A second evaluation parameter will be the percentage of cells with more than 1, 2, 3 and 4 AgNORs / nucleus (pAgNOR). A higher percentage of cells with more than 3 and 4 AgNORs per nucleus indicate greater proliferation.
pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 60 days after beginning of the treatment.
Cell proliferation - pAgNOR
Time Frame: pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.
Upon confirmation of the diagnosis of actinic cheilitis, participants will undergo a noninvasive procedure called exfoliative cytology. The lip mucosa is scraped with cytobrush, which is then used to smear two glass slides. One slide will be stained with AgNOR. With this examination it is possible to analyze cell proliferation activity. A second evaluation parameter will be the percentage of cells with more than 1, 2, 3 and 4 AgNORs / nucleus (pAgNOR). A higher percentage of cells with more than 3 and 4 AgNORs per nucleus indicate greater proliferation.
pAgNOR analysis will be performed at 210 days after beginning of the treatment.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Fernanda Visioli, PhD, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 23, 2019

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 24, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

August 24, 2021

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 4, 2019

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 3, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

January 7, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

November 22, 2022

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 17, 2022

Last Verified

November 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

No

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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