title: Combined treatment with etanercept 50 mg once weekly and narrow-band ultraviolet B phototherapy in chronic plaque psoriasis.
abstract: The combination of etanercept, a tumour necrosis factor α inhibitor, with narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy has recently been reported to be effective in moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, yielding better results than either monotherapy. To assess the efficacy and safety of this combined treatment using the lower approved etanercept dosage. In this single-arm open-label study patients received etanercept 50 mg once weekly combined with NB-UVB phototherapy three times weekly for 8 weeks, followed by etanercept alone until week 12. We evaluated the proportion of patients achieving 75%, 90% and 100% improvement of their initial PASI score (PASI75, PASI90, and PASI100, respectively). Patients were 19 men and 14 women, mean age 48.3 years ± 12.1 standard deviation (SD) and mean baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score 22.5 ± 7.5. On treatment weeks 4, 8, and 12, 24.2%, 66.7%, and 81.8% of patients achieved PASI75; 8.0%, 15.1%, and 57.6% reached PASI90, and 0%, 6.0%, and 24.2% attained PASI100, respectively. There were no severe side effects. Low-dosage etanercept combined with NB-UVB phototherapy is an effective, safe and economical approach to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Further studies are clearly required to assess its long-term efficacy and safety.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Largo Francesco Vito, 8 - 00168 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Simone
authors.forename: Magda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Agostino
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Capizzi
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Capponi
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venier
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caldarola
mesh_terms: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000628:therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D000068800:Etanercept