OBJECTIVES: To describe attitudes and expectations towards treatment of patients diagnosed with actinic keratosis (AK).

METHODS: This survey was carried out between November and December 2022 in a panel of 15,246 individuals aged ≥40 years, representative of the general population in France. The postal survey consisted of 25 questions.

RESULTS: A total of 615 participants (4.0%) reported a lifetime diagnosis of AK (mean age: 68.9±11.4 years; 310 men). 225 participants (36.5%) had received no treatment since diagnosis; 131 (21.3%) had received topical treatment and 297 (48.3%) non-pharmacological treatment at least once. Treatments were considered effective by 224 participants (36.5%) and restrictive for 119 participants (19.4%); 283 participants (45.9%) noted that their lesions recurred no matter what was done. 170 participants (27.7%) strongly agreed that some treatments were painful or unsightly. The prescription duration for local treatments was not respected in 17.3% of cases, and the treatment was stopped before the lesions had completely disappeared in 13.9% of cases. Only 59/615 (9.6%) had not sought or obtained advice from a pharmacist about their lesions. In addition, 485 participants wanted more explanations about their disease at the time of diagnosis of whom 425 had received them. The most important treatment expectations were ease of use (82.1% of patients), efficacy on lesions (82.4%), minimal side effects (68.2%) and short treatment duration (63.3%).

CONCLUSIONS: Management of AK in France remains inadequate with 1/3 of participants with AK remaining untreated and topical treatment prescribed to only 1/5 patients. 1/3 considered treatment to be effective,1/5 considered it restrictive, and 1/4 believed it to cause poorly tolerated local side-effects. 4/5 participants expressed a strong desire for an effective treatment that is easier to use. It is important to improve standards of care, since, along with photoprotection, this represents an essential preventive strategy against squamous cell carcinoma.