Ann Dermatol.  2011 Nov;23(4):474-480.

Narrowband Ultraviolet B Phototherapy of Early Stage Mycosis Fungoides in Korean Patients

• Jang MS
• Baek JW
• Park JB
• Kang DY
• Kang JS
• Suh KS
• Kim ST

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Narrowband UVB (NBUVB) is currently used to treat early mycosis fungoides (MF). There are a number of reports on the efficacy and safety of NBUVB in Caucasians, but little data is available for Asians.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of NBUVB for early stage MF in Korean patients.
METHODS
We enrolled 14 patients (12 men, 2 women; age range, 10~64 years) with clinically and histologically proven MF. Three patients were stage IA, and the others were stage IB. The patients received NBUVB phototherapy three times a week. The starting dose was 70% of the minimal erythema dose and was increased in 20 percent increments if the previous treatment did not cause erythema. Clinical response, total number of treatments, total cumulative dose, duration of remission and side effects were investigated.
RESULTS
Eleven of 14 patients (78.6%) achieved complete remission within a mean of 15.36+/-5.71 weeks (range, 5~27 weeks), 31.0+/-7.4 treatments (range, 16~39 treatments) and a mean cumulative UVB dose of 31.31+/-12.16 J/cm2 (range, 11.4~46.8 J/cm2). Three of the 14 patients (21.4%) achieved a partial remission. After discontinuation of treatment, 6 of 11 patients (54.5%) with complete remission relapsed after a mean of 8.5+/-4.09 months. No serious adverse effects were observed except for hyperpigmentation (7/14, 50%).
CONCLUSION
Our data suggest that NBUVB therapy is safe and effective for the treatment of early stage MF in Korean patients.

Keyword

Asian; Mycosis fungoides; Narrowband UVB; Phototherapy

MeSH Terms

Asian Continental Ancestry Group
Erythema
Humans
Hyperpigmentation
Male
Mycosis Fungoides
Phototherapy

Figure

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  Fig. 1 (A) Patch-stage mycosis fungoides with erythematous patches on the trunk. (B) Complete clinical remission after 36 treatments of narrowband UVB (case 6).

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  Fig. 2 (A) Patch-stage mycosis fungoides with erythematous patches on whole dody. (B) Complete clinical remission with only residual hyperpigmentation after 37 treatments of narrowband UVB (case 9).

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