Broad band UVA: a possible reliable alternative to PUVA in the treatment of early-stage mycosis fungoides.

UVA1 phototherapy was found to induce marked improvement in skin lesions of patients with stages IA and IB mycosis fungoides (MF). Broad band UVA (BB-UVA) is composed of 80.1% UVA1, with similar mechanisms of action. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy of BB-UVA in the treatment of early-stage MF. Thirty patients with early stage MF were included. They were divided into two equal groups receiving either BB-UVA at 20 J/cm2/ session or PUVA three times/week for 40 sessions. Clinical and histopathological evaluations were performed before and after therapy in addition to immunohistochemical measurement of CD4+ cells and Bcl-2. Patients were followed up for an average duration of 36 months. Comparable clinical and histopathological improvement was noted in MF patients in both groups. Clinical improvement graded 'Excellent' was achieved in 33% of patients in the BB-UVA versus 13.3% in the psoralen and UVA (PUVA) group. Long-term follow-up indicated superiority of BB-UVA over PUVA. BB-UVA group showed a more rapid clearance rate, shorter time to achieve complete clearance, a longer disease-free interval and lower relapse rate. The use of BB-UVA in the treatment of early-stage MF is comparable or even superior to PUVA regarding efficacy and remission periods.