Efficacy of photochemotherapy on severe pruritus in polycythemia vera.

Pruritus may cause severe chronic discomfort to PV patients. Most of the usual treatments are not at all or only weakly efficient. Photochemotherapy using psoralen and ultraviolet A light may largely improve the clinical symptom of intractable itching, as observed in ten of the 11 cases presented, but maintenance therapy is generally necessary. The treatment may then improve the patient's quality of life.