Pilot Study of a Novel Therapeutic Approach for Refractory Advanced Stage Folliculotropic Mycosis Fungoides.

Folliculotropic mycosis fungoides is a variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized as having a folliculocentric infiltrate of malignant T cells along with a worse prognosis in comparison to the epidermotropic variants. Patients with advanced forms of folliculotropic mycosis fungoides are often poorly responsive to both skin-directed as well as to systemic therapies. We report here a high response rate using a novel therapeutic regimen combining interferon gamma, isotretinoin in low dose and topical carmustine, and in some cases concomitant skin-directed therapies, among 6 consecutive patients with refractory folliculotropic mycosis fungoides with stages IB through IIIB who had previously failed both topical and systemic therapies.

The Science and (Lost) Art of Psoralen Plus UVA Phototherapy.

PUVA phototherapy is the therapeutic use of psoralens and UVA light to treat inflammatory skin diseases, with psoriasis the prototype disease. Naturally occurring phototoxic compounds, psoralens interact with UVA to suppress DNA synthesis and cell proliferation and induce apoptosis of inflammatory cells. Well-developed therapeutic protocols for psoriasis guide psoralen and UVA doses, treatment frequency, and safety measures, and these protocols also may be used to treat other inflammatory dermatoses.

Photosensitive atopic dermatitis exacerbated by UVB exposure.

Photosensitive atopic dermatitis (AD) is a rare disease entity that many physicians are not familiar with, thus it often is misdiagnosed. It can be life altering, as patients often strictly avoid the sun and may only leave the house at night. Effective treatments are available, and therefore diagnosis is key to improve quality of life for these patients.