Clinical Clearance of Actinic Keratoses with Tirbanibulin 1% Ointment: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

Actinic keratoses (AKs) are skin conditions that arise from the proliferation of atypical keratinocytes and are considered precursors to cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. There are several treatment options available, which can be categorized into two main groups: lesion-directed therapies and field-directed therapies. Tirbanibulin 1% ointment has emerged as a new treatment for AKs. We conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of tirbanibulin by analyzing the rates of complete clearance (CC) and partial clearance (PC) in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and real-world studies. Our search included four databases: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Web of Science. After applying specific inclusion and exclusion criteria, we identified 11 study cohorts from 10 publications. The CC rate was reported in 10 of the 11 studies, involving a total of 2092 patients, with 874 CC events observed. This resulted in an overall pooled CC rate of 52.05% (95% CI: 42.43-61.52%). The PC rate was also reported in 10 of the 11 studies, involving a total of 2367 patients, with 1631 PC events recorded. This led to an overall pooled PC rate of 71.96% (95% CI: 64.89-78.09%). In conclusion, tirbanibulin 1% ointment has shown clinical effectiveness and should be considered a promising treatment for AKs.