title: Treatment of male genital lichen sclerosus with clobetasol propionate and maintenance with either methylprednisolone aceponate or tacrolimus: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the efficacy of clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream in male patients suffering from genital lichen sclerosus (GLS), as well as the efficacy of methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1% cream and tacrolimus 0.1% ointment as maintenance therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted retrospectively. At baseline, male patients with GLS (n = 41) were treated with clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream applied twice daily for 8 weeks. Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score for pruritus, Investigator's Global Assessment (IGA) score and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were recorded at baseline, week 8 and week 20. At week 8, patients responsive to treatment (n = 37) were further treated with methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1% cream twice weekly (n = 17) or tacrolimus 0.1% ointment once daily (n = 20), as maintenance therapy until week 20.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VAS, IGA and DLQI median scores were significantly decreased from baseline to week 8 (p < 0.001). At week 20, patients treated with methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1% cream presented no significant difference in median IGA score (p = 0.865), median DLQI score (p = 0.853) or median VAS score (p = 0.474) compared with patients treated with tacrolimus 0.1% ointment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clobetasol propionate 0.05% cream is effective as first-line treatment in male GLS. The data suggest that there is no difference between methylprednisolone aceponate 0.1% cream and tacrolimus 0.1% ointment in preventing the relapses.
authors.affiliation: 2nd Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Aristotle University School of Medicine , Thessaloniki , Greece.
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kyriakou
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Patsialas
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Patsatsi
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sotiriadis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002990:Clobetasol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005832:Genital Diseases, Male / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D018459:Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus / Q000188:drug therapy*; D060046:Maintenance Chemotherapy / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008775:Methylprednisolone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011537:Pruritus / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055502:Secondary Prevention; D063465:Skin Cream / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016559:Tacrolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D002990:Clobetasol; C078007:methylprednisolone aceponate; D016559:Tacrolimus; D008775:Methylprednisolone