Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) for Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus

Summary

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a skin condition of the external genitals (vulva) of women. LS causes vulvar itching, pain, and burning. In addition, LS causes scarring of the vulva which may cause significant sexual dysfunction or pain. Lastly, 4-6% of women with LS will develop vulvar cancer. The current "gold standard" treatment for lichen sclerosus is potent steroids creams. When used correctly, steroid creams help to decrease the symptoms of itching and burning and can prevent further vulvar scarring. In addition, proper treatment reverses the underlying inflammation of LS, and may lower the risk of getting cancer. While useful, steroid creams may have serious side effects that include thinning of the skin, fungal infections, and lowering the immune system. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a platelet concentrate that helps to speed up tissue healing, without serious side effects, in a very wide range of medical conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers, muscle injury, tendon injury, and in a variety of cosmetic procedures. The PRP works because of its high level of proteins that help with wound healing. It is also apparent from the majority of published studies that PRP therapy has minimal risk of scar tissue formation or significant bad side effects. Recently, there was an exploratory study of twelve subjects that used PRP for the study treatment of lichen sclerosus. While this study showed good success, the study was limited because of its small size and lack of placebo (a drug or study treatment that contains no active ingredient) control.

Timeline

Start

2016-11

Primary completion

2018-08

Completion

2018-10

Publications

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• Background Lubach D, Rath J, Kietzmann M. Steroid-induced dermal thinning: discontinuous application of clobetasol-17-propionate ointment. Dermatology. 1992;185(1):44-8. doi: 10.1159/000247402.
• Background Cherian MP, AbdulJabbar M. Cushing's syndrome and adrenal suppression from percutaneous absorption of clobetasol propionate in infants. Saudi Med J. 2001 Dec;22(12):1139-41. No abstract available.
• Background Furue M, Terao H, Rikihisa W, Urabe K, Kinukawa N, Nose Y, Koga T. Clinical dose and adverse effects of topical steroids in daily management of atopic dermatitis. Br J Dermatol. 2003 Jan;148(1):128-33. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2133.2003.04934.x.
• Background Sarvajnamurthy S, Suryanarayan S, Budamakuntala L, Suresh DH. Autologous platelet rich plasma in chronic venous ulcers: study of 17 cases. J Cutan Aesthet Surg. 2013 Apr;6(2):97-9. doi: 10.4103/0974-2077.112671.
• Background Sclafani AP. Safety, efficacy, and utility of platelet-rich fibrin matrix in facial plastic surgery. Arch Facial Plast Surg. 2011 Jul-Aug;13(4):247-51. doi: 10.1001/archfacial.2011.3. Epub 2011 Feb 21.
• Background Chen L, Yang X, Huang G, Song D, Ye XS, Xu H, Li W. Platelet-rich plasma promotes healing of osteoporotic fractures. Orthopedics. 2013 Jun;36(6):e687-94. doi: 10.3928/01477447-20130523-10.
• Background Goldstein AT, King M, Runels C, Gloth M, Pfau R. Intradermal injection of autologous platelet-rich plasma for the treatment of vulvar lichen sclerosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017 Jan;76(1):158-160. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2016.07.037. No abstract available.
• Background Lubkowska A, Dolegowska B, Banfi G. Growth factor content in PRP and their applicability in medicine. J Biol Regul Homeost Agents. 2012 Apr-Jun;26(2 Suppl 1):3S-22S.
• Background Salazar-Alvarez AE, Riera-del-Moral LF, Garcia-Arranz M, Alvarez-Garcia J, Concepcion-Rodriguez NA, Riera-de-Cubas L. Use of platelet-rich plasma in the healing of chronic ulcers of the lower extremity. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2014 Jul-Aug;105(6):597-604. doi: 10.1016/j.ad.2013.12.011. Epub 2014 Mar 12. English, Spanish.
• Background Moraes VY, Lenza M, Tamaoki MJ, Faloppa F, Belloti JC. Platelet-rich therapies for musculoskeletal soft tissue injuries. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Dec 23;(12):CD010071. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD010071.pub2.
• Background Casabona F, Priano V, Vallerino V, Cogliandro A, Lavagnino G. New surgical approach to lichen sclerosus of the vulva: the role of adipose-derived mesenchymal cells and platelet-rich plasma in tissue regeneration. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2010 Oct;126(4):210e-211e. doi: 10.1097/PRS.0b013e3181ea9386. No abstract available.
• Background Gunthert AR, Duclos K, Jahns BG, Krause E, Amann E, Limacher A, Mueller MD, Juni P. Clinical scoring system for vulvar lichen sclerosus. J Sex Med. 2012 Sep;9(9):2342-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2012.02814.x. Epub 2012 Jul 3.

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