A retrospective, descriptive study of patients with Mycosis fungoides treated by phototherapy (oral PUVA, NB‐UVB) with a twice‐weekly regimen at the Institute of Dermatology, Bangkok, Thailand, with an experiential timeline of 13 years

Background Phototherapy has been a first-line treatment for early-stage mycosis fungoides (MF) since 1976. Oral 8-methoxypsoralen plus ultraviolet A (oral PUVA) and narrow-band ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) are favorable modalities owing to their availability. In previous studies, phototherapy was conducted thrice per week initially, which is not feasible for many patients. Objectives To evaluate the initial clinical responses and time to relapse in patients with early-stage MF treated with oral PUVA and NB-UVB at a twice-weekly regimen. Methods We reviewed the records of patients with biopsy-proven MF who received oral PUVA or NB-UVB in 2002-2014. Demographic data, staging, response to initial course of phototherapy, and initial relapse-free interval were collected. Results Among 70 patients, 14 (20%) and 56 (80%) were treated with oral PUVA and NB-UVB, respectively. The majority had early-stage MF (IA, 22.9%, IB, 57.1%, and IIA, 4.3%). Oral PUVA led to a complete response (CR) in 2 (14.3%) patients and partial response (PR) in 7 (50%) patients; 17 (30.4%) and 25 (44.6%) patients, respectively, achieved CR and PR with NB-UVB. The number of treatments was similar in both groups. The cumulative dose was 520.7 J/cm2 for PUVA and 41.6 J/cm2 for NB-UVB. There was no initial relapse in the 2 (100%) patients and in 10 (58.8%) patients treated with oral PUVA and NB-UVB at 18 months and 9.14 months of follow-up, respectively. Conclusion Patients with early-stage MF can achieve clinical response with oral PUVA and NB-UVB, with a twice per week regimen. The initial relapse-free interval was longer than 1 year.