The study offers narrowband UVB light therapy to patients who have 5% of their body involved with vitiligo. The hypothesis is that Narrowband UVB promotes melanocyte proliferation in vitiligo lesions.
All patients will receive phototherapy, with narrowband UVB, three times a week for six months, or a total of 78 treatments. 6mm punch skin biopsies (2) will be done prior to starting therapy, once during treatment (2) and at the completion of the study (2). Clinical assessments and photography will be done parallel to the skin biopsies. Results (clinically and histologically) will be analyzed.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
20
Treatment three to seven times weekly for a total of 12 to 26 weeks (36 to 168 treatments). Dosing of NB-UVB will begin at 100-280 mJ/cm2, depending on tolerance and skin type, and will be titrated 10-20% per session until clinical efficacy or symptomatic erythema
Rockefeller University Hospital
New York, New York, United States
Number of melanocytes per unit length of skin surface
Time frame: pre-treatment, early repigmentation, 75% repigmentation of total body
Clinical improvement
Time frame: first visit and last visit
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