title: Topical mometasone furoate for vulvar lichen sclerosus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy and safety of treating vulvar lichen sclerosus with mometasone furoate, a synthetic analogue of beclomethasone.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one consecutive patients with biopsy-proven vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) seen at the Florence Vulvar Clinic were entered into the study. Each subject's symptoms and the gross appearance of the lesions were recorded using a severity score according to the authors' previous studies. The patients were treated with a regimen of 0.1% mometasone furoate cream applications to the affected areas once daily for 4 weeks and then twice weekly for 8 weeks. After 12 weeks of treatment, the subjects were asked to rate the changes in their symptoms and were reevaluated by the same examiner for the gross appearance of the lesions. In every patient the before/after treatment total severity scores were compared using Wilcoxon's signed-rank test for statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With mometasone furoate all the patients had a significant improvement (P < .001) in the gross aspects of the disease and a very dramatic decrease in symptoms (P < .001), with nearly all the subjects having complete symptomatic remission. Compliance was excellent, and no side effects were observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The improved risk/benefit ratio of mometasone furoate may minimize the possible long-term side effects expected when using a very potent topical steroid. Therefore, momentasone furoate cream may be an alternative to clobetasol propionate for treatment of vulvar LS, with similar efficacy but higher levels of safety and tolerability.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, of Dermatology and of Pathology, University of Florence, Careggi, Viale Morgagni 85, 50100 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cattaneo
authors.forename: Angelina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Magnis
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Botti
authors.forename: Lorella
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sonni
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carli
authors.forename: Gian Luigi
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Taddei
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; D011244:Pregnadienediols / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014845:Vulvar Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011244:Pregnadienediols; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate