Why It Is Used
Although nongenital warts are not cancerous, bleomycin injection is sometimes used to kill skin cells, effectively stopping wart growth.
How Well It Works
There is no consistent evidence on how effective bleomycin is for warts. Cure rates have varied between 16% and 94%.1
Side Effects
Bleomycin causes pain during and after the injection into a wart. Longer-term side effects include:
- Scarring.
- Nail damage.
- Skin color changes.
See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)
What To Think About
Bleomycin is injected into warts that have been resistant to other treatments. It is usually used as a last resort because the injection is painful and expensive.
Bleomycin is considered too toxic to safely treat children or pregnant or breast-feeding women.
Bleomycin should not be used in people with Raynaud's phenomenon or peripheral arterial disease.
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Credits
| Author | Sabra L. Katz-Wise |
| Author | Ralph Poore |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Randall D. Burr, MD - Dermatology |
| Last Updated | October 20, 2006 |
Ralph Poore
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