A total of 76.9 percent of American College of Mohs Surgeons recommend nicotinamide use for keratinocyte carcinoma (KC) prevention, according to a study published in the April issue of Dermatologic Surgery.

Sheena Desai, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues surveyed 1,500 members of the American College of Mohs Surgeons to characterize nicotinamide prescribing patterns. Correlations were examined between physician characteristics and nicotinamide prescribing habits.

The researchers found that nicotinamide was recommended for KC prevention by 76.9 percent of survey respondents. Nicotinamide was recommended to more than 100 patients in the previous year by 20 percent of respondents. Duration of use of two years or more in their patients was reported by 45 percent of respondents. Regarding the safety of long-term nicotinamide use, 63.8 percent of respondents said they had no concerns. The likelihood of recommending nicotinamide for KC prevention was reduced for individuals who answered "yes," "maybe," or "uncertain" to having safety concerns over long-term nicotinamide use and individuals in practice for more than 10 years (odds ratios, 0.30 and 0.20, respectively).

"Despite lack of long-term safety data, more than three-quarters of survey respondents have recommended nicotinamide to patients for KC chemoprevention," the authors write.

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