Hydroxychloroquine a promising treatment option for anogenital lichen sclerosus

In the treatment of patients with anogenital lichen sclerosus, the use of hydroxychloroquine appears to induce favourable response rates with low incidence of adverse effects, as shown in a retrospective study.

Researchers looked at 70 patients (95.7 percent female) diagnosed with lichen sclerosus who underwent treatment with hydroxychloroquine at a single-centre institution. They analysed the patients’ demographic characteristics, clinicopathological features, treatment response, and disease outcomes.

Of the patients, 23 (32.9 percent) had extragenital lichen sclerosus and 16 (22.9 percent) had concomitant morphea overlap. Majority of the participants (67 percent) presented with itching.

Thirty-six percent of patients had a connective tissue disorder, which prompted hydroxychloroquine therapy. Of the 30 who received treatment solely for lichen sclerosus, 21 achieved a response while the remaining nine did not.

In a broader analysis of hydroxychloroquine efficacy, the response rates were 84.6 percent for overall anogenital lichen sclerosus and 50 percent for extragenital lichen sclerosus. The time to initial response was a median of 4 months.

In terms of safety, 10 patients (14.3 percent) had adverse effects, which were predominantly mild.

The study was limited by its retrospective nature and the small sample size. Further research is needed to establish the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in this population, the researchers said.