Clinical Efficiency of Narrow Band-Ultraviolet B Phototherapy and
Methotrexate Therapy and their effects on Serum Tumor Necrosis
Factor-Alpha in Patients with Cutaneous Lichen Planus.
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the clinical efficiency of Narrow
Band-Ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) phototherapy and methotrexate (MTX) therapy
and their effects on serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in
patients with cutaneous lichen planus (CLP). Methods: The present cohort
study was carried out on 60 patients with CLP who attended the
Out-patient Clinics of the Dermatology, Department, Faculty of Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University between May 2018 and
December 2019.The included patients were indiscriminately classified
into two treatment groups; group A (30 patients), received NB-UVB
phototherapy for three months and group B (30 patients), received MTX
therapy for three months. All the patients were assessed clinically and
TNF-α before and after treatments. Results: There were no statistically
significant differences between the two groups of treatment regard
clinical improvement after treatment (P=0.149). Regarding levels of
TNF-α, there was a statistically significant difference between the two
treatment groups after treatment (P=0.024). There was a statistically
significant reduction in TNF-α level after treatment in the MTX group.
Conclusion: This study concluded that NB-UVB phototherapy and MTX
therapy were clinically effective in the treatment of patients with CLP.
MTX therapy was more efficient in the reduction of TNF-α level than
NB-UVB phototherapy in patients with CLP.