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Antifungal (oral and vaginal) therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) affects about 138 million women annually worldwide, with a global annual prevalence of 3,871 per 100,000 women11 Denning DW, Kneale M, Sobel JD, Rautemaa-Richardson R. Global burden of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018;18(11):e339-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30103-8
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30...
. Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a common fungal infection caused by Candida species, predominantly Candida albicans. However, RVVC significantly compromises women's quality of life, causing severe symptoms of itching, pain, dyspareunia, dysuria, and leucorrhea. For this reason, the control of this recurrent infection remains a challenge for patients and experienced gynecologists22 Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, Foxman B, Ledger WJ, Nyirjesy PR, et al. Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998;178(2):203-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80001-x
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80...
44 Sobel JD. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;214(1):15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.067
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.0...
. RVVC is a condition arbitrarily defined as three episodes or more of VVC in the previous 12 months. However, some investigators demand yet another additional event, i.e., four attacks22 Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, Foxman B, Ledger WJ, Nyirjesy PR, et al. Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998;178(2):203-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80001-x
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80...
,33 Sobel JD. Vulvovaginal candidosis. Lancet. 2007;369(9577):1961-71. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60917-9
https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(07)60...
. The etiopathogenesis of RVVC is still unclear. It is known that different elements are involved in this condition, such as immune mechanisms, genetic mutations, and behavioral patterns. However, the etiological factor remains unknown, hindering the clinical management of women with RVVC55 Rosentul DC, Delsing CE, Jaeger M, Plantinga TS, Oosting M, Costantini I, et al. Gene polymorphisms in pattern recognition receptors and susceptibility to idiopathic recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Front Microbiol. 2014;5:483. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00483
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2014.00483...
77 Nedovic B, Posteraro B, Leoncini E, Ruggeri A, Amore R. Sanguinetti M, et al. Mannose-binding lectin codon 54 gene polymorphism and vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biomed Res Int. 2014;2014(6):738298. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/738298
https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/738298...
.

A significant number of topical and oral imidazole agents are available in various formulations with clinical and cure rates ranging from 80 to 90%22 Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, Foxman B, Ledger WJ, Nyirjesy PR, et al. Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998;178(2):203-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80001-x
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80...
44 Sobel JD. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;214(1):15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.067
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.0...
. Fluconazole has been the most used, and it is an inexpensive and well-tolerated antifungal drug that is easily administered orally. Meta-analyses realized about the theme demonstrate that fluconazole effectively reduces the recurrence of vaginal candidiasis up to 6 months after treatment88 Rosa MI, Silva BR, Pires PS, Silva FR, Silva NC, Silva FR, et al. Weekly fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013;167(2):132-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12...
,99 Qin F, Wang Q, Zhang C, Fang C, Zhang L, Chen H, et al. Efficacy of antifungal drugs in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis: a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1893-901. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588
https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588...
. However, in the last decade, fluconazole resistance has been reported in women with RVVC, consequence, in most cases, of the widespread availability of over-the-counter antifungal agent. Earlier epidemiological studies found that almost all women diagnosed with fluconazole-resistant C. albicans had experienced previous exposure to fluconazole1010 Marchaim D, Lemanek L, Bheemreddy S, Kaye KS, Sobel JD. Fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans vulvovaginitis. Obstet Gynecol. 2012;120(6):1407-14. https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0b013e31827307b2
https://doi.org/10.1097/aog.0b013e318273...
. While effective control of RVVC is achievable through using fluconazole maintenance suppressive therapy, the cure of RVVC remains elusive, especially in this era of fluconazole drug resistance. Ketoconazole and itraconazole are options of treatment found, as long as the cross-resistance is not determined44 Sobel JD. Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2016;214(1):15-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.067
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2015.06.0...
.

Accordingly, our systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess antifungal treatment effectiveness for RVVC and provided an evidence-based protocol treatment for clinical use.

METHODS

This systematic review study with meta-analysis followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) guidelines1111 Moher D, Liberati A, Tetzlaff J, Altman DG, PRISMA Group. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: the PRISMA statement. PLoS Med. 2009;6(7):e1000097. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000097
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.100...
. The protocol of this systematic review is available in a previous publication1212 Lírio J, Giraldo PC, Amaral RL, Sarmento ACA, Costa APF, Gonçalves AK. Antifungal (oral and vaginal) therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review protocol. BMJ Open. 2019;9(5):e027489. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027489
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027...
.

Literature search and screening

PubMed, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, the Cochrane Central Registry of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), CINAHL, and clinical trial databases, until July 2021, were used. Gray literature was searched using OpenGrey. No language restrictions were applied. The medical subject heading terms included: “candidosis,” “vaginitis,” “candida,” “antifungal,” “clotrimazole,” “econazole,” “butoconazole,” “fenticonazole,” “isoconazole,” “miconazole,” “omoconazole,” “oxiconazole,” “terconazole,” “tioconazole,” “sertaconazole,” “natamycin,” “amphotericin,” “fluconazole,” “ketoconazole,” “itraconazole,” “posaconazole,” “voriconazole,” “nystatin” and were combined with Boolean “OR” and “AND” operators.

Eligibility criteria

Three researchers (JL, ACAS, and APFC) independently reviewed each article based on its title and abstract. The relevant data were collected by JL, RNC, and AKG. The inclusion criteria were as follows: randomized, blind, published clinical trials that analyzed women who had at least three episodes of vaginal candidiasis confirmed by the presence of signs and symptoms plus a positive vaginal culture for fungus, who had signs and symptoms plus positive vaginal microscopy compatible with vaginal candidiasis, and who had been treated with antifungal drugs administered intravaginally or orally. Studies with women immunosuppressive conditions or users of immunosuppressive drugs were excluded.

Data extraction

The clinical and mycological recurrence rate at 12 months, time to the first recurrence, and cure rate at 30 days were analyzed as the primary outcomes. The secondary outcomes were the proportion of participants with at least one recurrence during treatment and follow-up period, and complications/side effects.

A standardized data extraction form was used to collect the following data: authors, year of publication, country, the follow-up, mean age, the number of participants, interventions, and primary outcomes. The duplicate or secondary publications were excluded.

Quality evaluation

To assess the risk of bias, the Cochrane Collaboration bias risk tool was applied1313 Higgins JPT, Thomas J, Chandler J, Cumpston M, Li T, Page MJ, et al., editors. Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. version 6.2 [cited on 2021 Mar 22]. Cochrane, 2021. Available from https://training.cochrane.org/handbook
https://training.cochrane.org/handbook...
. The studies were classified into “low risk of bias,” “high risk of bias,” or “unclear risk of bias.” Two authors (JL and ACAS) assessed each original study and then qualified, and disagreements were resolved by consulting a third author (RNC).

Statistical analyses

The Review Manager software 5.3.3 was used to perform the meta-analysis. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed treatments, the dichotomous data were extracted from each study and inserted in a 2x2 contingency table. Then, we calculated the odds ratio (OR) for dichotomous data and mean weight difference (MD) for continuous data with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI) to obtain a global estimate summary. Heterogeneity was assessed by the I22 Sobel JD, Faro S, Force RW, Foxman B, Ledger WJ, Nyirjesy PR, et al. Vulvovaginal candidiasis: epidemiologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1998;178(2):203-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80001-x
https://doi.org/10.1016/s0002-9378(98)80...
statistic: (<25%, without heterogeneity; 25–50%, moderate heterogeneity; and >50%, strong heterogeneity). The fixed-effect model was chosen due to the low heterogeneity observed between studies. We used Egger's funnel plot to assess possible publication bias. A linear regression approach was used to assess the asymmetry of the funnel plot. Moreover, the outcomes that assessed the certainty of evidence were evaluated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool1414 Guyatt GH, Oxman AD, Vist G, Kunz R, Brozek J, Alonso-Coello P, et al. GRADE guidelines: 4. Rating the quality of evidence – study limitations (risk of bias). J Clin Epidemiol. 2011;64(4):407-15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010.07.017
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2010....
.

RESULTS

A total of 18,965 potential records were initially identified. Later, 118 additional records were identified. After review of the title and abstract, 78 full-text papers were reviewed, 13 studies met inclusion criteria, and 9 studies were included in the meta-analysis. A flowchart of the study selection process is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses flow diagram.

This systematic review included 13 papers representing 1,552 women, with a mean age of 30.92 years. The study included seven studies from the United States, two from England, and one each from Sweden, Spain, Italy, and Iran. The general characteristics of all included studies were summarized and are shown in Table 1.

Table 1
Characteristics of the studies included in the systematic review.

Four meta-analyses were performed as follows:

  1. Mycological recurrence (seven studies)1515 Bolouri F, Tabrizi NM, Tanha FD, Niroomand N, Azmoodeh A, Emami S, et al. Effectiveness of fluconazole for suppressive maintenance therapy in patients with RVVC: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Iran J Pharm Res. 2009;8(4):307-13.1717 Bushell TE, Evans EG, Meaden JD, Milne JD, Warnock DW. Intermittent local prophylaxis against recurrent vaginal candidosis. Genitourin Med. 1988;64(5):335-8. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.64.5.335
    https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.64.5.335...
    ,2020 Roth AC, Milsom I, Forssman L, Wålén P. Intermittent prophylactic treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis by postmenstrual application of a 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet. Genitourin Med. 1990;66(5):357-60. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357
    https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357...
    2222 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Meriwether C. Clotrimazole treatment of recurrent and chronic candida vulvovaginitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1989; 73(1):330-4. PMID: 2644595,2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
    https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
    ;

  2. Second clinical recurrence (six studies)1515 Bolouri F, Tabrizi NM, Tanha FD, Niroomand N, Azmoodeh A, Emami S, et al. Effectiveness of fluconazole for suppressive maintenance therapy in patients with RVVC: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Iran J Pharm Res. 2009;8(4):307-13.,1717 Bushell TE, Evans EG, Meaden JD, Milne JD, Warnock DW. Intermittent local prophylaxis against recurrent vaginal candidosis. Genitourin Med. 1988;64(5):335-8. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.64.5.335
    https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.64.5.335...
    ,2020 Roth AC, Milsom I, Forssman L, Wålén P. Intermittent prophylactic treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis by postmenstrual application of a 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet. Genitourin Med. 1990;66(5):357-60. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357
    https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357...
    2222 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Meriwether C. Clotrimazole treatment of recurrent and chronic candida vulvovaginitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1989; 73(1):330-4. PMID: 2644595,2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
    https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
    ;

  3. Average recurrence time (two studies)2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
    https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
    ,2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342;

  4. Effectiveness of clotrimazole with other antifungals (two studies)2323 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Stein G, Mummaw N, Christensen S, Meriwether C. Initial management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis with oral ketoconazole and topical clotrimazole. J Reprod Med. 1994;39(7):517-20. PMID: 7966041,2424 Sobel JD, Brooker D, Stein GE, Thomason JL, Wermeling DP, Bradley B, et al. Single oral dose fluconazole compared with conventional clotrimazole topical therapy of Candida vaginitis. Fluconazole Vaginitis Study Group. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1995;172(4):1263-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(95)91490-0
    https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-9378(95)914...
    .

The meta-analysis for mycological recurrence at 12 months showed that the OR for people treated with fluconazole, ketoconazole, clotrimazole, and oteseconazole was 0.36 (95%CI: 0.24–0.55) when compared with untreated people. For clinical recurrence at 12 months, the OR for women treated with fluconazole, ketoconazole, and clotrimazole was of 0.36 (95%CI: 0.24–0.54) risk of clinical recurrence when compared with the control group. Meta-analysis showed that there is no difference of effectiveness when comparing clotrimazole with other drugs (fluconazole and ketoconazole) (OR: 0.76, 95%CI: 0.41–1.41). The women treated with fluconazole and itraconazole had an average recurrence time of 0.364 months (10.92 days) longer than untreated people. Presenting adverse effects were considered mild; for this reason, antifungal protocols were considered safe.

It was impossible to analyze subgroups between different classes of antifungals and topical and vaginal routes due to the diversity of outcomes, which would allow comparisons with a maximum of two studies each.

All studies were randomized; eight were double-blind, placebo-controlled trials1515 Bolouri F, Tabrizi NM, Tanha FD, Niroomand N, Azmoodeh A, Emami S, et al. Effectiveness of fluconazole for suppressive maintenance therapy in patients with RVVC: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Iran J Pharm Res. 2009;8(4):307-13.,1616 Brand SR, Degenhardt TP, Person K, Sobel JD, Nyirjesy P, Schotzinger RJ, et al. A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered VT-1161 in the treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;218(6):624.e1-.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.0...
,1818 Davidson F, Mould RF. Recurrent genital candidosis in women and the effect of intermittent prophylactic treatment. Br J Vener Dis. 1978;54(3):176-83. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.54.3.176
https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.54.3.176...
,2020 Roth AC, Milsom I, Forssman L, Wålén P. Intermittent prophylactic treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis by postmenstrual application of a 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet. Genitourin Med. 1990;66(5):357-60. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357
https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357...
,2222 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Meriwether C. Clotrimazole treatment of recurrent and chronic candida vulvovaginitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1989; 73(1):330-4. PMID: 2644595,2525 Sobel JD, Kapernick PS, Zervos M, Reed BD, Hooton T, Soper D, et al. Treatment of complicated Candida vaginitis: comparison of single and sequential doses of fluconazole. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185(2):363-9. https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2001.115116
https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2001.115116...
2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342; only three trials described a good random sequence generation process and the methods used for allocation concealment1818 Davidson F, Mould RF. Recurrent genital candidosis in women and the effect of intermittent prophylactic treatment. Br J Vener Dis. 1978;54(3):176-83. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.54.3.176
https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.54.3.176...
,2020 Roth AC, Milsom I, Forssman L, Wålén P. Intermittent prophylactic treatment of recurrent vaginal candidiasis by postmenstrual application of a 500 mg clotrimazole vaginal tablet. Genitourin Med. 1990;66(5):357-60. https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357
https://doi.org/10.1136/sti.66.5.357...
,2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342. The risk of bias for each included study is shown in Table 2.

Table 2
Quality assessment of the included studies using the Cochrane risk of bias tool.

According to the GRADE system, the studies provided strong and moderate evidence for all results. In general, the quality of evidence was strong due to the characteristics of the study design. The quality of evidence was downgraded one level because of the imprecision of the results (Table 1).

DISCUSSION

This study shows that clotrimazole, fluconazole, ketoconazole, and oteseconazole at different levels reduced the recurrence of VVC and decreased the fungal count in culture after 12 months of treatment compared with placebo. Several studies evaluate the effectiveness of fluconazole in treating vaginal candidiasis; a minority refers to its use in treating CVVR. Donder's study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of an individualized, degressive, and prophylactic regimen in 136 women with RVVC. It was observed that individualized, degressive, and prophylactic maintenance therapy with oral fluconazole is an effective treatment regimen to prevent clinical relapses in women with RVVC2828 Donders G, Bellen G, Byttebier G, Verguts L, Hinoul P, Walckiers R, et al. Individualized decreasing-dose maintenance fluconazole regimen for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (ReCiDiF trial). Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008;199(6):613.e1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2008.06.029
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2008.06.0...
. The meta-analysis conducted by Rosa et al.88 Rosa MI, Silva BR, Pires PS, Silva FR, Silva NC, Silva FR, et al. Weekly fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013;167(2):132-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12...
also suggests that fluconazole appeared to be the best drug. However, the latter highlights only the effectiveness of the drug in reducing symptoms. Two of the clinical trials included in this review1515 Bolouri F, Tabrizi NM, Tanha FD, Niroomand N, Azmoodeh A, Emami S, et al. Effectiveness of fluconazole for suppressive maintenance therapy in patients with RVVC: a randomized placebo-controlled study. Iran J Pharm Res. 2009;8(4):307-13.,2525 Sobel JD, Kapernick PS, Zervos M, Reed BD, Hooton T, Soper D, et al. Treatment of complicated Candida vaginitis: comparison of single and sequential doses of fluconazole. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2001;185(2):363-9. https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2001.115116
https://doi.org/10.1067/mob.2001.115116...
did not demonstrate the effectiveness of fluconazole in clinical remission and the long-term mycological recurrence rate. A possible explanation for this ineffectiveness may be the presence of azole-resistant Candida species such as Candida glabrata and much less commonly Candida krusei.

The meta-analysis did not demonstrate the effectiveness of clotrimazole, itraconazole, and ketoconazole in the clinical remission of symptoms in women with RVVC. In their meta-analysis, Qin et al.99 Qin F, Wang Q, Zhang C, Fang C, Zhang L, Chen H, et al. Efficacy of antifungal drugs in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis: a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1893-901. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588
https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588...
demonstrated the greater effectiveness of these drugs, including fluconazole. However, this study did not consider patients with RVVC, only patients with VVC. The difference of results can be justified because the randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated clotrimazole and ketoconazole included few patients, which may have influenced the absence of a significant difference, and we need to point the resistance azoles again.

An RCT with high-quality evidence, Brand et al.1616 Brand SR, Degenhardt TP, Person K, Sobel JD, Nyirjesy P, Schotzinger RJ, et al. A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered VT-1161 in the treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;218(6):624.e1-.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.0...
showed that oteseconazole could be a promising new drug, decreasing the recurrence of symptoms and the reappearance of yeasts in the vagina. In addition, this new antifungal may be the most effective drug in Candida species resistant to other azoles2929 Thakare R, Dasgupta A, Chopra S. Oteseconazole. Fungal lanosterol 14alpha-demethylase (CYP51) inhibitor, treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis, treatment of onychomycosis. Drugs Future. 2019;44(11):855. https://doi.org/10.1358/dof.2019.44.11.3035583
https://doi.org/10.1358/dof.2019.44.11.3...
. The latter RCT was not included in the studies by Rosa et al.88 Rosa MI, Silva BR, Pires PS, Silva FR, Silva NC, Silva FR, et al. Weekly fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2013;167(2):132-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejogrb.2012.12...
and Qin et al.99 Qin F, Wang Q, Zhang C, Fang C, Zhang L, Chen H, et al. Efficacy of antifungal drugs in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis: a Bayesian network meta-analysis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1893-901. https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588
https://doi.org/10.2147/IDR.S175588...
.

Regarding the proportion of participants with at least one recurrence during treatment and follow-up period, Sobel et al.2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
and Spinillo et al.2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342 observed a higher rate of recurrences in the placebo groups. Fluconazole and itraconazole increased the time of occurrence of the first episode2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
,2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342. Clotrimazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and oteseconazole in the studies of moderate evidence are antifungal drugs with effectiveness for RVVC treatment. Fluconazole could reduce the rate of recurrence of symptomatic VCC. However, a long-term cure remains a challenge to achieve1616 Brand SR, Degenhardt TP, Person K, Sobel JD, Nyirjesy P, Schotzinger RJ, et al. A phase 2, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of orally administered VT-1161 in the treatment of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2018;218(6):624.e1-.e9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.001
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2018.03.0...
,2222 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Meriwether C. Clotrimazole treatment of recurrent and chronic candida vulvovaginitis. Obstet Gynecol. 1989; 73(1):330-4. PMID: 2644595,2323 Sobel JD, Schmitt C, Stein G, Mummaw N, Christensen S, Meriwether C. Initial management of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis with oral ketoconazole and topical clotrimazole. J Reprod Med. 1994;39(7):517-20. PMID: 7966041,2626 Sobel JD, Wiesenfeld HC, Martens M, Danna P, Hooton TM, Rompalo A, et al. Maintenance fluconazole therapy for recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. N Engl J Med. 2004;351(9):876-83. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114
https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa033114...
,2727 Spinillo A, Colonna L, Piazzi G, Baltaro F, Monaco A, Ferrari A. Managing recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis. Intermittent prevention with itraconazole. J Reprod Med. 1997;42(2):83-7. PMID: 9058342.

The limitations of our study are based on potential missing data, biases, and heterogeneity in treatment protocols. However, this study included studies with new antifungals that professionals do not commonly use. Despite the immense diversity of treatment modalities, this study can illuminate potential targets for the treatment of RVVC, assuming that most of the randomized trials were evaluated with an unclear risk of bias.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides moderate and high evidence that antifungal protocols using fluconazole, ketoconazole, and clotrimazole presented effectiveness for mycological and clinical recurrence rates when compared with placebo. The protocols using fluconazole, clotrimazole, ketoconazole, itraconazole, and oteseconazole were effective in the short-term treatment of RVVC. However, there was no difference in effectiveness between the drugs. In the long term, oteseconazole appears as a new effective drug compared with a placebo.

  • Funding: none.

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Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    28 Feb 2022
  • Date of issue
    Feb 2022

History

  • Received
    18 Sept 2021
  • Accepted
    08 Oct 2021
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