title: Combined therapy in vulvar lichen sclerosus: does topical tretinoin improve the efficacy of mometasone furoate?
abstract: Abstrract Purpose: To assess efficacy and safety profile of combining a potent corticosteroid with a retinoid in the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus (VLS).
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively compared 21 VLS patients treated with tretinoin (T) in short-contact therapy and mometasone furoate (MMF) (group A) and 20 treated with cold cream (CC) and MMF (group B) for 5 consecutive days/week for 12 weeks. The efficacy parameters were the response rate, the percentage of patients achieving an improvement from baseline of ≥75% in subjective and objective scores and the mean reduction in subjective and objective scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirteen patients (75.2%) were considered as responders in group A and 15 (78.9%) in group B; 50% and 61.1% of patients in group A and 100% and 63.1% in group B achieved an improvement of at least 75% in subjective and objective scores, respectively. The scheme combining MMF and CC was better tolerated than the combination of MMF and T.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combination with a topical retinoid did not enhance the effectiveness of a potent corticosteroid in the treatment of VLS. Either the scarce efficacy of the short-contact therapy regimen or a less favorable safety profile of such combination may account for these findings.
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Sezione di Dermatologia e Malattie Infettive , Università degli Studi di Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borghi
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Sezione di Dermatologia e Malattie Infettive , Università degli Studi di Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Minghetti
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Sezione di Dermatologia e Malattie Infettive , Università degli Studi di Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Toni
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Sezione di Dermatologia e Malattie Infettive , Università degli Studi di Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Annarosa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Virgili
authors.affiliation: a Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Sezione di Dermatologia e Malattie Infettive , Università degli Studi di Ferrara , Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corazza
mesh_terms: D000287:Administration, Topical; D000368:Aged; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007724:Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D007641:Keratolytic Agents; D000068656:Mometasone Furoate; D014212:Tretinoin
keywords: Vulvar lichen sclerosus; combination regimen; mometasone furoate; short-contact therapy; tretinoin