title: Efficacy of narrowband ultraviolet B twice weekly for hypopigmented mycosis fungoides in Asians.
abstract: Hypopigmented mycosis fungoides (MF) is a rare variant of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. To date, there have been no data published about the efficacy of a twice-weekly regimen of narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) for the treatment of hypopigmented MF. We retrospectively reviewed 11 patients with hypopigmented MF who were treated with NB-UVB twice weekly between 2001 and 2010. Of the 11 patients, 7 achieved a complete response with a mean of 40 treatments; the remaining 4 patients had a partial response. Upon discontinuation of treatment, three patients had clinical relapse after complete remission. Median time to relapse was 10 months. A twice-weekly regimen of NB-UVB is an effective treatment for hypopigmented MF with minimal side-effects. However, the relapse rate is high, and unfortunately, no clinical or histological features can predict the relapse of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanokrungsee
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rajatanavin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rutnin
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vachiramon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017496:Hypopigmentation / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult