[Current therapeutic options for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis]

The purpose of this review is to describe and to critically discuss recent advances in the management of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis (RRP). The goal of surgery in RRP remains the control of symptoms. A curative therapy cannot be expected. The microdebrider and the CO(2)-laser are currently the most widely used surgical options. Literature reports an increase in adjuvant medical therapies of 10-22%. The most common drugs in adjuvant therapy are interferon, cidofovir and indole-3-carbinole/diindolylmethane. The lack of controlled studies limits our ability to accurately assess the antiviral action of the adjuvant therapies. At the moment, therapeutic interventions remain focused on the surgical removal of papillomas when possible, and additional adjuvant therapy is available for the minority of patients for whom surgical management fails to adequately control their disease. Recent advances in immunologic research offer the hope of immune system modulation as potential future treatment modalities to better control this disease process.