The treatment of basal skin carcinomas in two sisters with xeroderma pigmentosum

Xeroderma pigmentosum (XP) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder that causes defects in the DNA repair system. It is characterized by a marked sensitivity to sunlight, and sufferers develop serious sunburns with onset of poikilodermia in the light-exposed skin. Squamous cell carcinomas, basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) and malignant melanomas appear in childhood. Two sisters with XP presented with previously treated facial BCCs. They were treated with imiquimod 5% cream three times weekly, one for 6 weeks and the other for 10 weeks. Although both sisters temporarily discontinued treatment due to severe erythema and erosion, successful long-term clearance was observed with no recurrences in both cases.