The Current Landscape of Treatment of Warts

Warts have bothered people since the early Greek and Roman empires.5 For centuries, people have studied causes of and treatments for these irritating tumors. In recent history, treatments have stagnated. Warts are caused by non-enveloped, circular, double-stranded DNA human papillomavirus (HPV).6 Most infections are subclinical, but clinically relevant disease ranges from warts to invasive carcinoma.6 Two-thirds of warts resolve spontaneously within 2 years, meaning that the stakes for treatments are high.4 Successful therapies need to have high resolution, few side effects, and act fast. The lack of radical antiviral HPV treatment represents a significant care gap. Although common warts are generally due to low-risk HPV strains, coinfection with higher-risk variants is not uncommon.  .