Isabel Belinchón, María J. Sánchez-Pujol, Alejandro Docampo, Laura Cuesta, Luca Schneller-Pavelescu, Jose M. Ramos-Rincón
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3453

The aim of this prospective study in a phototherapy unit was to describe adverse events (AEs) associated with discontinuation of phototherapy in a clinical setting. A total of 872 included patients received 1,256 courses of phototherapy treatment: 76.9% narrow-band UVB (NBUVB); 9.6% systemic psoralen plus UVA (PUVA); 11.4% topical PUVA; and 2.1% UVA. Approximately a fifth of the treatments (n = 240, 19.1%) were associated with AEs, the most frequent of which was erythema (8.8%). Systemic PUVA had the highest rate of AEs (32.5%). Mycosis fungoides was the dermatosis with the highest rate of AE (36.9%). A total of 216 (17.2%) patients stopped treatment: 23.6% because of AEs (4.1% of all treatments). Treatment suspension due to AEs was associated with PUVA, both topical and systemic (p < 0.001), and diagnoses of mycosis fungoides (p < 0.001), palmoplantar psoriasis (p = 0.002), hand eczema (p = 0.002) and pityriasis lichenoides (p = 0.01). In conclusion, one in every 5 patients receiving phototherapy had an AE, but few stopped treatment for this reason.

Phototherapy has proven to be an effective treatment for several dermatoses. However, little is known about the adverse events (AE) that lead to discontinuation in clinical practice. This prospective study included 872 patients who received 1,256 phototherapy treatments. Approximately a fifth of patients receiving phototherapy had an AE, but few stopped treatment for this reason. Erythema was the most frequent AE, and mycosis fungoides was the dermatosis with the highest rate of AE. Patients treated with psolaren plus UVA, and those with mycosis fungoides, hand eczema or palmoplantar psoriasis, were more likely to stop their treatment due to AE.