Cryotherapy Effective as First-Line Treatment for Genital Warts: Study
Source- Leslie SW, Sajjad H, Kumar S. Genital Warts. [Updated 2021 Aug 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. [Figure, Genital Warts, Male. Contributed by DermNetNZ] Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK441884/figure/article-22202.image.f2/
Researchers have found in case series that Cryotherapy is a safe, cost-effective, and effective first-line treatment for genital warts, particularly in immunocompetent patients. Incorporating patient-reported outcome measures, such as the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and Visual Analog Scale (VAS), provides a more comprehensive assessment of treatment success and should be routinely adopted in clinical practice.
Genital warts are common benign lesions caused predominantly by human papillomavirus types 6 and 11 and are associated with significant psychosocial morbidity. Cryotherapy remains a widely used ablative modality, yet data on patient-reported outcomes in real-world settings remain limited. To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy, safety profile, and patient-reported outcomes of cryotherapy in the management of genital warts. A case series of seven treatment-naive patients with clinically and dermoscopically confirmed genital warts was analyzed. All patients underwent cryotherapy with a cryoprobe using two freeze–thaw cycles per session at 2-week intervals. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and quality-of-life changes were measured using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) before treatment and two weeks after the final session. Complete or near-complete clearance was achieved in 71.4% of patients after 1–2 sessions.
Adverse effects occurred in 57.1%, predominantly procedural pain and transient hypopigmentation. DLQI scores improved markedly among patients with complete clearance, indicating significant psychosocial recovery, whereas incomplete responders particularly immunocompromised individuals showed minimal improvement. Recurrence occurred in 14% of cases. Cryotherapy is a safe, cost-effective, and efficacious first-line treatment for genital warts, especially in immunocompetent patients. Incorporating patient-reported outcomes such as DLQI and VAS provides a holistic assessment of therapeutic success and should be adopted routinely.
Reference:
Karishni, Chittarvu; Samskruthi, Muske; Priya, Muthu; Rani, Chintagunta Sudha. Therapeutic efficacy of cryotherapy in genital warts: A case series with patient-reported outcomes. Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS 47(1):p 36-38, Jan–Jun 2026. | DOI: 10.4103/ijstd.ijstd_158_25
Keywords:
Cryotherapy, Effective, First-Line, Treatment, Genital Warts, Study, Karishni, Chittarvu; Samskruthi, Muske; Priya, Muthu; Rani, Chintagunta Sudha, Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS
