Efficacy and safety of intralesional candida albicans antigen injection, cryotherapy versus their combination in treatment of genital warts in females

Background A variety of therapy techniques have been utilized in the management of genital warts; however, no single therapy is completely effective to date. Intralesional immunotherapy has demonstrated promising outcomes in treating different types of warts. Objective To compare between the safety and efficacy of intralesional Candida albicans antigen (CAA) injection, cryotherapy versus their combination in treating genital warts in females. Patients and methods This prospective randomized clinical trial had been conducted on 30 adult females, with single or multiple genital warts who were newly diagnosed or those who did not receive any therapy 1 month before the study enrolment for their genital warts. Participants were allocated into three groups equally: group A: injected intralesionally with CAA, group B: treated by cryotherapy, and group C: a combination of intralesional CAA injection and cryotherapy. Results A significant negative association existed among response to treatment and clinical duration of genital warts before treatment in all study groups ( P <0.05). All the studied groups showed clinical improvement with different grades of clinical response. Complete response was achieved in 30% of participants managed with intralesional CAA injection, 60% of patients treated with cryotherapy and 80% in the group managed with their combination. Conclusions Both intralesional injection of CAA and cryotherapy are effective therapeutic modalities in the management of female individuals with genital warts. However, their combination represents promise and well tolerated therapeutic option.