Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30936735›Full record

ArticleClinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology2019

Topical 5 fluorouracil cream vs combined 5 fluorouracil and fractional erbium YAG laser for treatment of severe hypertrophic scars.

Abeer Attia Tawfik, Maha Fathy, Ashraf Badawi, Noha Abdallah, Hisham Shokeir

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07660120 (Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Carbon Dioxide Laser-Assisted Triamcinolone Delivery With and Without 5-Fluorouracil for Hypertrophic Burn Scars), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.1field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT07660120 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2026, after this paper: background citation

Comparing the Safety and Efficacy of Carbon Dioxide Laser-Assisted Triamcinolone Delivery With and Without 5-Fluorouracil for Hypertrophic Burn Scars: A Triple-Blinded, Randomized Split Scar Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorUniversity of California, DavisRan2026 to 2028Enrolled65ConditionsBurn, Hypertrophic Scars, Scar Improvement by Laser, CO2 Laser in ScarsArmsFractional Ablative CO₂ Laser, Triamcinolone Acetonide, Fluorouracil (5-FU)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Laser-Assisted Drug Delivery for Hypertrophic Scar Treatment: A Scoping Review.Journal of burn care & research : official publication of the American Burn Association · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. [Research advances on pharmacological interventions for hypertrophic scar].Zhonghua shao shang yu chuang mian xiu fu za zhi · 2022
    Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

Abeer Attia TawfikDermatology Unit, Department of Medical Applications of Lasers (MAL), National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, ashrafbadawi@hotmail.com.
Maha FathyAl-Houd Al Marsoud Hospital, Cairo, Egypt, ashrafbadawi@hotmail.com.
Ashraf BadawiDermatology Unit, Department of Medical Applications of Lasers (MAL), National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, ashrafbadawi@hotmail.com.
Noha AbdallahDermatology Unit, Department of Medical Applications of Lasers (MAL), National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, ashrafbadawi@hotmail.com.
Hisham ShokeirDermatology Unit, Department of Medical Applications of Lasers (MAL), National Institute of Laser Enhanced Sciences, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt, ashrafbadawi@hotmail.com.
Cairo University · EGPartners in Development for Research, Consulting and Training (Egypt) · EG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTopical 5 fluorouracil (5-FU) has been reported as one of the standard treatments for hypertrophic scars (HTS). Ablative fractional laser was found to have promising results in the delivery of topical drugs into the skin by creating vertical channels through which the drugs can penetrate the skin. So far there have been no comparative studies performed to compare both modalities in the same patient and same anatomical region, especially in severe HTS.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of topical 5-FU and combined topical 5-FU and laser in treating severe HTS. PATIENTS AND

methodsTwenty-four severe HTS lesions were treated by 5-FU monotherapy and 5-FU combined with ablative fractional erbium YAG laser. Each lesion was divided into two parts. One part was treated with topical 5-FU twice weekly for 8 months. The other part was treated with combined topical 5-FU and ablative fractional erbium YAG laser once per month for 8 months. The scars' improvement was evaluated by Vancouver scar scale (VSS) and skin analysis camera.

resultsThe assessment by VSS showed a significant reduction in the mean height, pliability, and vascularity of the lesions which were treated with combined approaches compared to 5-FU monotherapy. Pain and ulceration occurred at a higher rate in the combination therapy group.

conclusionTreatment of severe HTS with combined 5-FU and ablative fractional erbium YAG laser is more effective than 5-FU alone.

Indexed as

5-FUfractional erbium YAG laserfractional lasershypertrophic scarsscar managementskin ablationtranscutaneous drug deliverywound healing

Identifiers

PMID30936735
PMCPMC6421878
OpenAlexW2920882781

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.