Interventions for Treating Actinic Cheilitis: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Dermatology
• Oral Medicine
• Oncology

Background:

• Actinic cheilitis (AC) is a sun-induced oral potentially malignant disorder.
• Optimal treatment strategies for AC are not yet established.
• This review addresses the need for evidence-based AC treatment guidelines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of various treatments for actinic cheilitis (AC).
• To identify the most effective interventions for managing this oral potentially malignant disorder.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review of Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs) comparing AC treatments against placebo or other interventions.
• Comprehensive literature search across major databases (PubMed, Cochrane, etc.) conducted in February 2025.
• Risk of bias assessment using RoB2 tool and qualitative synthesis of clinical outcomes.

Main Results:

• Eight RCTs with 230 participants were analyzed.
• Methyl aminolevulinate (MAL) plus daylight photodynamic therapy (PDT), CO2 laser, and electrodessication showed high 3-month clearance rates.
• CO2 laser demonstrated sustained effectiveness at 6 months, but high risk of bias in most trials limits definitive conclusions.

Conclusions:

• The most effective treatment for actinic cheilitis (AC) cannot be definitively determined due to significant study limitations.
• Future research requires improved methodology, standardized therapies, and long-term follow-up to assess recurrence and malignant transformation rates.