Treatment of localized non-segmental vitiligo with intradermal 5-flurouracil injection combined with narrow-band ultraviolet B: a preliminary study.

Background: Several treatment modalities had been used for the treatment of vitiligo but the optimal treatment has not yet been identified.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of intradermal injection of 5-flurouracil (5-FU) combined with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) as a treatment option for vitiligo.

Patients And Methods: The study included 60 vitiligo patients with overall symmetrical lesions affecting less than 30% of body surface area. For each patient, one side of the body was treated with NB-UVB alone (control side) while the other side was treated with NB-UVB therapy in addition to intradermal injection of 5-FU (50 mg/ml), 0.01-0.02 ml per injection with 1 cm apart in skin of vitiligo, every 2 weeks for 4 months.

Results: The overall repigmentation was significantly higher in the 5-FU side compared with control side in all body parts (p < 0.001) except for the acral lesions where the difference was not significant (p = 0.561). No systemic side effects of 5-FU were detected, and the majority of the patients reported pain during injections.

Conclusions: Intradermal 5-FU injection in combination with NB-UVB could be considered as a simple, safe, tolerable and cheap technique for treatment of vitiligo. It shortens the duration of NB-UVB therapy and improves the outcome, repigmentation. Longer follow-up is needed.