Efficacy of low-dose ultraviolet a-1 phototherapy for parapsoriasis/early-stage mycosis fungoides.

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and parapsoriasis (PP) are major dermatologic conditions for which phototherapy continues to be a successful and valuable treatment option. UVA-1 phototherapy is effective in the management of cutaneous T-cell mediated diseases. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of low-dose UVA-1 phototherapy for the management of PP/early-stage MF. A total of 30 patients, diagnosed with MF (n:19) or PP (n:11) were enrolled to the study. All patients were managed with low-dose UVA-1 (20 or 30 J cm(-2)). Response was assessed clinically and immunohistochemically. UVA-1 treatment led to clinical and histological complete remission (CR) in 11 of 19 MF patients (57.9%), partial remission (PR) in three of 19 (15.8%), after a mean cumulative dose of 1665 (range, 860-3120) J cm(-2) and mean number of 73 exposure (range, 43-107) sessions. Five patients with PP (45.5%) showed CR, and PR was observed in six patients with PP (54.5%) after a mean cumulative dose of 1723 (range, 1060-3030) J cm(-2) and mean number of 74 exposure (range, 53-101) sessions. We conclude that low-dose UVA-1 therapy seems to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment option for patients with PP/early-stage MF.