Monitoring adherence to vulvar lichen sclerosus treatment - a prospective study.

Background: Vulvar lichen sclerosus treatment consists of topical corticosteroids followed by maintenance therapy. Self-reported adherence to topical corticosteroids in vulvar lichen sclerosus is approximately 66-70.4% and adherence to chronic topical medications is poor.Objective: To measure treatment adherence for vulvar lichen sclerosus.Methods: Adults with vulvar lichen sclerosus who were receiving or who were candidates to receive treatment with topical clobetasol propionate 0.05% ointment twice daily received medication tubes equipped with adherence monitors capturing the time and amount of dose dispensed. After 2 months, monitors were returned, and patients were surveyed regarding their adherence.Results: Ten patients participated for a median (range) of 8.5 (7-11) weeks. Eight (80%) and 7 (70%) caps captured medication timing and dosing events, respectively. Median (interquartile range) adherence was 65% (42-77) and median (interquartile range) medication dispensed per use was 0.15 (0.14 - 0.5) grams. Of the 8 patients using active adherence monitors, 2 did not clinically improve; adherence rates and mean quantity dispensed for these two patients were 31% and 0.13 grams, and 9% and 0.74 grams, respectively.Conclusion: Poor adherence to both twice daily application and prescribed medication quantity occurred frequently. Factors related to self-reported non-adherence included perceived greater efficacy, inconvenience, and time-constraints. Patient adherence to recommended treatment and clinical outcomes are areas for improvement in patients with vulvar lichen sclerosus.

An unusual skin reaction in uveal melanoma during treatment with nivolumab: extragenital lichen sclerosus.

Antibodies directed against programmed death receptor 1 emerged as beneficial immune-checkpoint inhibitor therapy in many different types of cancer. However, programmed death receptor 1 is critical in promoting self-tolerance and the most common toxicities of checkpoint inhibitors are immune-related adverse events. We present a 48-year-old woman affected by metastatic uveal melanoma treated with nivolumab (3 mg/kg every 2 weeks). The patient had no previous history of autoimmune disease or dermatologic conditions. At the fourth month of treatment, on cutaneous examination, she presented multiple whitish vitiligo-like patches on the trunk, axillae, hands and face. Diagnosis of melanoma-associated leukoderma vitiliginous reaction was made. Over the following months, the melanoma-associated leukoderma lesions slowly progressed with cigarette paper-like appearance and indurated texture. A skin biopsy leaded the diagnosis of extragenital lichen sclerosus. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of extragenital lichen sclerosus on previous melanoma-associated leukoderma lesions related to nivolumab monotherapy. The increase in clinical experience with anti programmed death receptor 1 enhances the knowledge about adverse effects associated with these immunotherapies and allows to compare therapeutic strategies.

Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus induced by carbamazepine: a case report.

We report a case of Lichen Sclerosus in a 73-year-old man who had been treated for epilepsy with carbamazepine. Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus (LSA), also called lichen sclerosus (LS), is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous condition characterized by white plaques with epidermal atrophy and scarring. To date no cases of LSA has been linked to carbamazepine, although in a few cases lichenoid eruptions but without sclero-atrophy have been described after exposure to this drug. Therefore, to our knowledge, this is the first report of a Lichen sclerosus et atrophicus induced by carbamazepine.