Laser vs Clobetasol for Lichen Sclerosus

Summary

Lichen sclerosus (LS) is a common autoimmune disease of the genital skin. It affects 1/900 women with an age peak in the sixth decade of life and is manifested by chronic inflammation of the genital, perineal, and perianal areas associated with itching, burning, pain, and soreness. In addition, LS is associated with an increased risk of vulvar cancer. Treatment options for LS include topical steroids such as clobetasol, immunomodulators such as tacrolimus, and non-ablative laser treatment. Although both treatments are well documented and used in clinical practice, direct comparative studies of the efficacy of topical corticosteroids versus laser treatment in women with LS are rare. For example, a PubMed literature search (search date 2021-03-14; search terms: lichen sclerosus, laser, corticosteroids, steroids, clobetasol, randomized) identified only a single randomized trial with limited power. Given the available evidence, further high-quality studies are needed to define the superiority/inferiority of the different available treatment options such as nonablative lasers and topical corticosteroids. Therefore, in this prospective, randomized, open-label, comparative study, treatment success after 3 courses of non-ablative treatment with CO2 laser every 14 days will be compared with treatment success after topical application of clobetasol 0.05% over 3 months (daily in the first month, every other day in month 2, and 3 times/week during month 3) at the time point 3 months after treatment initiation.

Timeline

Start

2021-11-02

Primary completion

2025-07-10

Completion

2025-10-17

Publications

• Background Bizjak Ogrinc U, Sencar S, Luzar B, Lukanovic A. Efficacy of Non-ablative Laser Therapy for Lichen Sclerosus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2019 Dec;41(12):1717-1725. doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2019.01.023. Epub 2019 Apr 11.
• Background Felmingham C, Chan L, Doyle LW, Veysey E. The Vulval Disease Quality of Life Index in women with vulval lichen sclerosus correlates with clinician and symptom scores. Australas J Dermatol. 2020 May;61(2):110-118. doi: 10.1111/ajd.13197. Epub 2019 Nov 14.
• Background Murphy R. Lichen sclerosus. Dermatol Clin. 2010 Oct;28(4):707-15. doi: 10.1016/j.det.2010.07.006.
• Background Renaud-Vilmer C, Cavelier-Balloy B, Porcher R, Dubertret L. Vulvar lichen sclerosus: effect of long-term topical application of a potent steroid on the course of the disease. Arch Dermatol. 2004 Jun;140(6):709-12. doi: 10.1001/archderm.140.6.709.
• Background Chi CC, Kirtschig G, Baldo M, Lewis F, Wang SH, Wojnarowska F. Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on topical interventions for genital lichen sclerosus. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2012 Aug;67(2):305-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2012.02.044. Epub 2012 Apr 6.
• Background Pagano T, Conforti A, Buonfantino C, Schettini F, Vallone R, Gallo A, Avino L, Alviggi C, De Placido G, Sopracordevole F. Effect of rescue fractional microablative CO2 laser on symptoms and sexual dysfunction in women affected by vulvar lichen sclerosus resistant to long-term use of topic corticosteroid: a prospective longitudinal study. Menopause. 2020 Apr;27(4):418-422. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001482.
• Hecken JM, Shoham I, Tempfer CB, Rezniczek GA. Carbon Dioxide Nonablative Laser Compared with Topical Clobetasol for Lichen Sclerosus: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2026 May 28. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000006326. Online ahead of print.

Drugs

Indications